Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities

Transcription

Promoting Safe Egress
and Evacuation for
People with Disabilities
Acknowledgements
This document was prepared for the NDA by:
•
Michael McGlennon,White Young Green;
•
Stephen Montgomery,White Young Green; and
•
Barry Turner,White Young Green.
Our special thanks to:
•
Peter Carroll, PM Group;
•
Paddy O’Brien, Cheshire Ireland;
•
Kenneth Moore, Office of Public Works;
•
Francis Power, Health and Safety Authority; and
•
all those who participated in the consultation process.
ISBN: 978-1-870499-18-7
2
Contents
1
Foreword
Page 5
2
Introduction
2.1 Background
2.2 The aims of This Document
2.3 Target Audience
2.4 How to Use This Document
Page 10
10
11
14
14
3
Initial Review
3.1 Carrying Out the Initial Review
3.2 Summary
Page 17
18
20
4
Egress Policy
Page 21
4.1 Legislation
23
4.2 Responsibility for Means of Escape
26
4.3 Evacuation Strategies
27
4.4 Typical Details Contained Within
an Egress Policy
28
4.5 Summary
28
5
Planning for Egress
5.1 Understanding the Problem
5.2 Egress Issues for People
with Disabilities
5.3 Assessing the Risk
5.4 Consultation
5.5 General Means of Escape
Design Principles
5.6 General Warning and Alarm
5.7 Wayfinding
5.8 Horizontal Movement
Page 29
31
34
39
42
43
45
49
54
3
5.9
5.10
5.11
5.12
5.13
6
7
8
9
Refuges
Vertical Movement
Advice on Specific Building Types
Emergency Planning
Summary
55
60
66
74
78
Implementing Your Egress Plan
6.1 Making Changes to the Building
6.2 Communicating the Plan
6.3 Evacuation Aids
6.4 Staff Training
6.5 Evacuation Drills
6.6 Summary
Page 83
85
86
87
91
93
94
Measuring Performance of
Your Egress Plan
7.1 Demonstrating Performance
7.2 Summary
Page 97
98
100
Reviewing Performance of
Your Egress Plan
8.1 Regular Reviews
8.2 Audit
8.3 Summary
Page 101
101
104
104
Conclusion
Page 107
Appendices
Page 108
1. Glossary of Terms;
2. PEEP Questionnaire and Template;
3. Risk Assessment Checklist;
4. Further Information.
4
1 Foreword
The access of buildings for people with disabilities has
attracted considerable attention in recent years and a great
deal of work has been undertaken to improve the accessibility
of public buildings for people with disabilities.
The Disability Act 2005 and the responsibilities that it places
on public bodies to ensure the accessibility of their buildings
has led to accessibility audits being carried out which will see
considerable changes made to public buildings in advance of
the 2015 deadline. Equality legislation enacted over the last
decade also requires public bodies to provide for the needs
of their employees and customers with disabilities.
In many cases, public bodies are striving to go beyond their
minimum legal obligations to create environments that are
universally accessible to as wide a group as possible.
This period of improvement in the accessibility of buildings
presents a considerable opportunity to implement measures
to ensure prompt and safe egress for people with disabilities
in the event of an evacuation or emergency situation.
Ensuring safe egress in an emergency is a complex issue,
requiring consideration of a broad range of factors, including
the design and usage of a building, the training of staff and the
provision of appropriate equipment and facilities.Those
responsible for buildings must ensure safe egress for all and
this requires consideration of the needs of everyone using
the building, particularly the specific requirements of people
with disabilities.
5
The National Disability Authority has produced this guide
to promote safe egress and evacuation for people with
disabilities. It will be of interest to all public sector staff with
responsibility for evacuation, including building and facilities
managers, health and safety personnel and human resources
professionals.The information contained within the guide will
also be of interest to people with disabilities, their families and
representative organisations, to building designers and to
those who manage buildings operated in the private sector.
We would like to encourage all those with responsibility for
building management and for ensuring safe egress in the event
of an emergency to take the time to consider this guide and
to develop and implement plans to ensure that everyone can
safely and quickly exit a building when required.
Dr Angela Kerins
Chairperson
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7
8
9
2 Introduction
2.1
Background
The National Disability Authority (NDA) is the national
independent statutory body established to advise the Minister
for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on policy and practice
relating to people with disabilities. It was set up in 1999 by an
Act of the Oireachtas called the National Disability Authority
Act 1999.The NDA has been in operation since June 2000
and has undertaken a wide range of activities in an effort to
achieve better outcomes for people with disabilities.
The work of the NDA includes:
•
advising the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law
Reform to develop policy on issues concerning people
with disabilities;
•
•
•
•
•
•
10
•
researching, collecting and analysing information on
issues related to disability and services for people
with disabilities;
advising on standards and quality of services for people
with disabilities;
preparing codes of practice that will help achieve high
standards and good quality in services for people with
disabilities;
monitoring the establishment and use of standards and
codes of practice;
acknowledging when services have achieved high
standards and good quality;
working with those who provide services to people
with disabilities and helping and supporting them in
establishing quality standards; and
establishing the Centre for Excellence in Universal
Design, which contributes to development and promotion
of standards, awareness, education and professional
development in the field of Universal Design.
As part of its work, the NDA has commissioned White Young
Green to prepare a guidance document that provides advice
in relation to safe egress and evacuation for people with
disabilities.The guidelines are based in the context of Irish
legislation and Building Regulations, and draw on relevant
local and international good practice.
2.2
The Aims of This Document
Over many years, guidance has focused on improving both
accessibility and the use of buildings and facilities for all
potential users. Equal importance must also be given to
ensuring safe egress. Recent developments in health and safety
legislation require this to be addressed.This guide can assist
building operators to meet their obligation to create a safe
environment for all.
The main aims of this document are:
•
Aim 1 – to provide the reader with an appreciation of
the problem and an understanding of egress issues that
particularly affect people with disabilities;
•
•
Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress features
that are normally designed into buildings and the
capability of using this information in preparing risk
assessments and emergency evacuation plans;
Aim 3 – to give guidance on providing safe egress for
people with disabilities; and
11
•
Aim 4 – to identify good practice in relation to safe
egress for people with disabilities.
Building managers, for example, may face the following
questions when designing egress policies and procedures:
•
How does a person with a hearing impairment know
when a fire alarm is activated?
•
•
•
•
How does a wheelchair user vacate an upper storey of
a property if the passenger lifts cannot be used during
evacuation?
How would a person with learning difficulties understand
complex escape signage?
Is safe egress for people with disabilities the responsibility
of the Fire Service or building management?
What support does a person with a cognitive or mental
health impairment require?
This document provides guidance on safe egress of publicly
owned and operated buildings for people with disabilities.
The document covers:
•
guidance in relation to management policy, planning
and practices;
•
•
•
•
•
background into the behaviour of people during
evacuation;
general building design issues;
information on assistive technology and equipment;
issues specific to certain building types and uses; and
where to get additional information.
Good practice has been identified from relevant publications.
The following list identifies the main documents reviewed:
12
•
•
•
•
•
•
NDA (2002), Building for Everyone,The National
Disability Authority, Dublin;
The Building Regulations (Ireland) 1997-2006,
Technical Booklet M 2004 – Access for People
with Disabilities;
The Building Regulations (Ireland) 1997-2006, Technical
Booklet B 2006 – Fire Safety;
BS8300: 2001, Design of Buildings and Their
Approaches to Meet the Needs of Disabled People
– Code of Practice,The British Standards Institution;
BS5588, Fire Precautions in Design and
Construction of Buildings,The British Standards
Institution, 1988;
Health and Safety Authority guidance document for the
healthcare sector – How to Develop and Implement
a Safety and Health Management System.
Owing to the new accessibility responsibilities placed on
public sector bodies in Part 3 of the Disability Act (2005),
this document provides a background introduction to the
principles of safe egress and specific guidance on requirements
for public sector buildings only. Although this document does
not provide specific guidance to the private sector, the general
principles are applicable. Appendix 4 identifies further reading.
It is recognised that the skills required to make a meaningful
assessment of the built environment, together with the
incorporated fire safety systems and the specific needs of
people with disabilities, are highly specialised. External
guidance could be obtained from suitably qualified and
experienced persons such as:
•
access auditors;
13
•
•
fire risk assessors; and
fire engineers.
In any event, an egress audit carried out by an independent
expert should form an intrinsic part of any access audit or
fire risk assessment.
2.3
Target Audience
The guide offers good practice advice on how to provide safe
egress from buildings for people with disabilities. It is envisaged
that the guidelines will be of interest to designated managers,
facilities managers, accommodation officers, health and safety
personnel, access officers, disability liaison officers, human
resource professionals and others who have a responsibility
to ensure the accessibility and safety of the built environment.
It will also be of interest to design consultants and disability
organisations involved with accessibility matters as well as
people with disabilities and their families and carers.
It is anticipated that the guide will be used in two ways:
•
A designated manager may use the document to ensure
suitable procedures or facilities are in place to warrant
safe egress; or
•
2.4
A designer may refer to the guidelines to ensure good
practice within their design.
How to Use This Document
This document is structured to follow the principles of a typical
safety and health management system.This management system
identifies the key elements needed to assist the target audience
in providing egress for all.The six key elements of the
14
management system form the main chapter headings of this
document. Figure 1 outlines the relationship between them.
Initial Review
This section outlines the information that needs to be
collected to enable an emergency egress plan to be developed,
and to set the scope and outcomes of the planning process.
Egress Policy
An understanding of egress policy and relevant statutory
requirements, guidelines and standards are detailed within this
section. It also identifies who is responsible for ensuring safe
means of escape.
Planning for Egress
This is one of the main sections of the document and sets out
the principal information required to assist with planning for
safe egress. Information relating to the problem, egress issues
affecting people with disabilities, risk assessment, consultation,
planning and design issues are all discussed.
Implementing Your Egress Plan
Issues relating to managing and implementing the egress plan
are described within this section. A planned and systematic
approach to implementing egress procedures will ensure safe
egress for all. The section includes information relating to
managing egress, personal emergency egress plans, evacuation
aids and training.
Measuring Performance of Your Egress Plan
Information relating to measurement, monitoring and evaluating
a safe egress system are included within this section.
15
Reviewing Performance of Your Egress Plan
Details on the procedures required to review the egress
system are contained here.
Information link
3 Initial Review
Initial Review
Control Link
Information link
Initial Review
Control Link
Egress Policy
Egress Policy
Planning for
Egress
Planning for
Egress
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Feedback loop to
improve performance
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Feedback loop to
improve performance
Figure 1: Key elements of an emergency
egress management system
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17
Introduction
The completion of an initial review will assist with meeting the
following aims of this document:
•
particularly affect people with disabilities; and
•
that are normally designed into buildings, and the
assessments and emergency evacuation plans.
Before getting involved in the detail of developing and
implementing the emergency egress plan, it is important to
take an overview of the current situation and establish the
desired outcomes.
3.1
Carrying Out the Initial Review
The first step in the initial review is to bring together all the
information held by the organisation that relates to emergency
egress matters.
The following are some examples of the pieces of information
that might be available:
•
Safety Statement;
•
•
•
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Fire and General Records Register;
Minutes of Health and Safety meetings;
Any existing emergency egress plan;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Fire Certificate for the building, including any fire
engineering strategy that formed part of the Fire
Certificate application for the building. The Fire
Certificate will usually comprise of a written report
with associated fire safety drawings;
Existing access audit or risk assessments for egress that
may be available, which identify problems and detail the
mitigating steps that have been taken in the past;
Information on life safety systems installed in the building.
Such systems will include fire detection and warning,
escape lighting, fire suppression, wayfinding and smoke
control systems;
Information on the specification and operation of
passenger and other lifts;
Feedback reports from previous emergency evacuations,
both actual and fire drills;
Statistical information on fire alarm activation frequency,
false alarms, locations times, etc;
Records of fire safety or evacuation training given to staff;
The number and location of fire and evacuation wardens;
Personal Evacuation Egress Plans (PEEPs); and
Feedback from building users.
This information can be collated and held centrally for
reference during the planning process.
The second stage of the initial review is to determine the
egress needs for staff and visitors.This can be best achieved
by surveys, questionnaires or interviews with staff and other
users of the building, including visitors, contractors and
attendees at training courses and meetings.
19
The final stage of the initial review is to consider the
information gained in Stages 1 and 2 and use it to:
•
identify egress needs;
•
•
3.2
•
•
•
4 Egress Policy
highlight current problems with emergency egress; and
establish the scope and objectives of the emergency
egress management system.
Initial Review – Summary
Gather all available existing information;
Find out about the egress needs of staff and other
building users;
Information link
Initial Review
Control Link
Review the information to determine objectives.
Egress Policy
Planning for
Egress
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
20
Feedback loop to
improve performance
21
Introduction
The Egress Policy section of the document will assist with
meeting the following aims:
•
•
•
assessments and emergency evacuation plans; and
Aim 3 – to provide guidance on providing safe egress
for people with disabilities.
Organisations have an obligation to ensure that all users
of their buildings can escape safely in an emergency. It is
necessary for those responsible to have clear policy objectives
for safe egress and to demonstrate a commitment to ensuring
that the needs of everyone can be met.To meet this objective, it
will be necessary for organisations to comply with all statutory
requirements, and commit adequate and reasonable financial
resources and personnel.
How are conflicts between providing access and ensuring
safety resolved?
An understanding of the legislation that impacts upon safe
egress is important so that the full extent of the obligations
placed upon building operators is known. It is also important
to be clear about where the responsibility for ensuring safe
egress lies and to establish the overall strategy for emergency
egress from the building.
4.1
Legislation
In addition to a moral duty of care to building users, there are
a number of pieces of legislation that place a responsibility on
public bodies, building owners and employers to ensure the
safety, health and welfare of anyone using a particular building.
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005)
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) requires
every employer to ensure the design, provision and maintenance
of a safe means of access to and egress from the workplace
for employees.
The organisation’s approach to a whole range of issues needs
to be established such as:
•
Are all areas of the building to be fully accessible to
everyone or is access restricted in some way?
Sections 8, 9 and 10 of this Act require that sufficient
information, training and supervision is provided to ensure the
safety of employees, and also that such instruction, training, etc.
must take account of any employees with specific needs, to
ensure their protection against dangers that may affect them.
•
Under Section 11, employers are required to prepare and
revise adequate plans and procedures to be followed and
measures to be taken in the case of an emergency, and that
employers provide the necessary measures for fire fighting
•
•
22
•
What is the organisation’s policy on first aid fire fighting?
Are staff with disabilities and other users of the building
with disabilities required to advise management of their
presence in the building?
How are visiting groups of people with disabilities
accommodated and managed?
23
and the evacuation of employees and any other individual
present in the workplace.
Section 12 clarifies that consideration must also be given
to the safety of persons other than employees within the
workplace.
To comply with Section 19 of the Act, employers are required
to carry out risk assessments for all Health and Safety issues,
including emergency egress, and to record these in the Safety
Statement.
The Safety Statement brings this all together in the context
of employees in Section 20 of the Act. However, a good-quality
Safety Statement also has the capacity to form the basis of the
Evacuation Strategy for all users of the building.
Fire Services Act (1981)
Fire safety within existing buildings is covered within the
provisions of the Fire Services Act (1981), which empowers
local fire authorities to carry out inspections to ensure the
adequacy of fire-related matters in relation to existing premises.
Building Control Act (1990)
24
exception of domestic buildings, to obtain a Fire Safety
Certificate for the premises.Although there are different
certificates for different types of development, it is necessary
for developers to send a copy of their designs to their local
fire authority for approval.
There are 37 fire authorities throughout Ireland and their
contact details are available at www.irishfireservices.com
(NB.This is not an official fire authority website).
Part M (2000) of the Building Regulations, entitled ‘Access
for People with Disabilities’, covers issues relating to
accessibility.
Indoor Events Act (2003)
The Licensing of Indoor Events Act (2003) places a
responsibility on any person to whom a licence has been
granted to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety
of everyone attending the event.
Equality and disability legislation
There are also a number of Acts that provide a legislative
framework for organisations to ensure that premises and
services comply with minimum accessibility requirements.
These include the Employment Equality Act (1998/2004), the
Equal Status Act (2000/2004), the Disability Act (2005) and the
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005).
The Building Control Act (1990) provides the framework for
the modern Irish building control system.This legislation
regulates standards in building construction and design
through the introduction of building regulations.The principal
aim of building regulations is to provide for the health, safety
and welfare of people in and around buildings.
The main driving legislation for ensuring accessibility to public
buildings is the Disability Act (2005).
Part B (2002) of the Building Regulations, entitled ‘Fire Safety’,
requires the developer of every new building, with the
Part 3 imposes a duty on public bodies to ensure, over time,
that public buildings and services are accessible to people with
25
disabilities.The standard for access is Part M of the Building
Regulations and public buildings must be compliant by 2015.
Public buildings must comply with amendments to Part M no
later than ten years after the commencement of such
amendments.
4.2
Responsibility for Means of Escape
The responsibility for evacuating people with disabilities lies
with those who manage the building on a day-to-day basis, not
with the fire service. In the vast majority of cases, this is the
occupant. It is a common misconception that once a person
with a disability has reached a safe refuge area within the stair
enclosures of a building, nothing further needs to be done by
the management, and the fire service will ensure they are
brought down the stairs to ground level when they arrive.
4.3
At the design stage of the building, a decision will have been
taken about the type of emergency evacuation procedure to
be used.This decision will have influenced the layout of the
building and the fire safety measures incorporated into it.
There are three main strategies commonly used:
•
Total evacuation – Everyone in the building begins to
evacuate at the same time and the physical arrangements
of the building are designed to cope with the maximum
numbers.This means that people with disabilities are
interacting with others with the potential for movement
times to be increased;
•
It is essential that evacuation of people with disabilities takes
place as soon as possible and it is the responsibility of those
in charge of the building to ensure this happens.
The ultimate responsibility will rest with the most senior
person in the organisation but specific personnel will have
designated responsibility. It is extremely important that there
is no doubt about who holds operational responsibility for
safe egress in each organisation. It is also extremely important
that the responsible people are given full support from the
highest level and are provided with the necessary authority
and resources to ensure that they can deliver.
26
Evacuation Strategies
•
Phased evacuation – This form of evacuation system has a
pre-alarm stage in areas remote from those immediately
threatened by fire. During this stage, vulnerable people
can begin to escape, with a general alarm being raised a
short time later. This can be helpful to enable staff to
assist people with disabilities to places of safety as quickly
as possible; and
Zoned evacuation – With this system, the building is
designed to be evacuated progressively as the extent
of the emergency develops and is understood.The
construction of the building, including its fire resistance,
is arranged so that immediate evacuation is not required
from all areas and people are moved progressively away
from the area of danger. This is of particular use in
buildings where medical care is provided, as people can be
evacuated horizontally behind fire-resisting construction
and moved vertically only if necessary. With this
evacuation philosophy, it is essential to ensure that
adjoining zones have sufficient capacity to accommodate
the additional occupants from another zone.
27
When considering the planning of emergency egress, it is
important that an understanding of the built-in safety measures
is obtained, particularly if the building has been subject to a
fire engineering solution for means of escape at design stage.
Changing the evacuation strategies of an existing building may
require some degree of work to the building structure and
fire safety systems.
4.4
•
•
•
•
•
Typical Details Contained Within
an Egress Policy
5 Planning for Egress
Information link
Control Link
Summary of legislative obligations;
Details of designated persons;
Policy statement of intent (list of aims and objectives);
Basic statement on the overall evacuation strategy; and
Dated and signed by senior management.
Egress Policy
Planning for
Egress
It is recommended that the egress policy is contained within
the organisation’s Safety Statement.
4.5
•
•
•
•
•
28
Egress Policy – Summary
Consider the applicable legislation;
Review policies that have an impact on egress;
Clarify who is responsible for safe egress;
Decide on an evacuation strategy – total, phased or
zoned; and
Gain an understanding of the existing inbuilt fire safety
measures.
Initial Review
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Feedback loop to
improve performance
29
Introduction
Organisations need to plan how they will react to
emergencies so that a safe outcome can be assured.
Planning allows an agreed approach to be developed,
recorded, communicated and practised. It allows problems
to be discussed and worked through so that confusion and
uncertainty are reduced in a real emergency situation.This
section provides a great deal of information to enable
emergency egress plans to be drawn up for people with
disabilities. It looks at how people react in an emergency
situation, and indicates how the presence of a disability can
affect that reaction.The benefits of a risk assessment approach
are discussed, as is the importance of consultation with all
stakeholders.
This section outlines the basic principles used when the
means of escape from buildings is designed. It provides
information on the various aspects of an emergency escape
system from warning and wayfinding, through moving
horizontally to a place of refuge, to vertical movement to
a place of safety.
Information is also given on particular aspects of safe egress
for people with disabilities in a range of building types.
This section of the document will assist with meeting the
following aims:
•
30
•
•
•
5.1
that are normally designed into buildings, and the
Understanding the Problem
In an emergency such as a fire, all building users are put in
an unfamiliar situation that can be, in extreme cases, very
frightening and potentially life-threatening. In dealing with the
problem of ensuring that people are able to evacuate in safety,
building design codes take into account a whole range of
issues such as:
•
type of use;
•
number of occupants;
•
travel distances; and
•
height above ground level.
The design codes attempt to tailor guidance and requirements
to match a diverse range of building types and occupancies, but
it is difficult to cover all eventualities.While design codes deal
adequately with many buildings, there are others that do not fit
neatly into the assumptions made about layout, use or
occupancy. With the provision of access for people with
disabilities to more and more buildings, there is a growing need
to give consideration to the resulting egress requirements.
Much is now known about how people react in emergencies.
For example, it is accepted that people prefer to use familiar
routes and exits in an emergency and will often ignore nearby
31
emergency exits to go out by the way they entered.The level
of familiarity that a person has with the building layout can
have an impact on their ability to escape.
Other factors that can influence the time it takes for escape
in an emergency include:
•
level of alertness – awake, sleeping, cognitive state;
Time to Escape
Evacuation Time
•
mobility – level of disability;
•
intellectual capacity – ability to understand instructions
or procedures;
Time to
Alarm
role and responsibility – staff or public;
Time to
Detection
•
•
•
•
mental health status – tolerance to noise or panic
situations;
position – standing, seated, lying down;
2
3
4
5
Tenability
Limit
Figure 2 below represents a timeline for an emergency, which is
often used to explain the stages of human behaviour alongside
the development of a fire. In an emergency evacuation, the aim
is to have the time taken for everyone to safely leave the
building less than the time for environmental or structural
conditions in the building to become untenable.The time
taken to evacuate once the alarm is raised is made up of
pre-movement and movement time.The pre-movement time
is broken down into recognition time and response time.The
movement time is the time taken to travel to safety.
1
Evacuation
Complete
presence of focal points within the building – stages or
screens.
Response
Time
Alarm
commitment – to the activity they are engaged in; and
Recognition
Time
Movement
Time
Detection
•
social affiliation – alone or with a group;
Pre-movement
Time
Incident
•
32
Available Safe Escape Time (ASET)
Figure 2: Example of a timeline comparison of
emergency development and evacuation
(based on Figure 4 from BS7974: 2001)
Recognition time is the period from when the alarm is raised
until people understand that there is a potentially threatening
situation. During this time, people are gathering information
from alarm signals, clues such as smoke, flame or unusual
sounds, or from the reactions of others. Response time is
spent by people deciding on the appropriate action to take to
deal with the emergency and can often include movement that
33
is not actually escaping, such as locating family members and
gathering up belongings.
When emergency egress is viewed in these terms, it becomes
evident that the population of a building at any one time will
have a range of characteristics and abilities that will affect
individual evacuation times.To design a building that provides
safe egress for all means basing the evacuation time on the
person who will take the longest time to escape. Special
consideration has to be given, therefore, to the needs of
people with disabilities when designing and planning for
emergency evacuation.
5.2
Egress Issues for People
with Disabilities
People have disabilities of various types and of varying levels
of severity.These disabilities can take the form of:
•
mobility impairment, where the range or speed of
movement is affected to varying degrees;
•
•
•
sensory impairment, where the ability to gather
information through the senses such as sight or hearing
is affected;
cognitive or mental health impairment, where the
capacity to process information and react appropriately
is affected; and
hidden disabilities, where the disability is not physically
apparent, but the stress of an emergency situation may
trigger the condition. Hidden disabilities could include
such conditions as asthma or heart problems.
People can sometimes have a combination of these types
of disabilities.The presence of a disability can have a very
34
significant impact on the time it takes for someone to escape
in an emergency. The time needed to escape on the ASET
timeline in Figure 2 above will potentially be extended, and an
understanding of how this could arise will help planners to
anticipate the likely effects.
Effect on recognition time
Although a mobility impairment will have the greatest impact
on movement time, the inability for people to quickly
investigate unexplained clues could lead to longer recognition
times. For some disabilities, it may be impossible for any
unaided movement to take place whatsoever.
The inability to hear a fire alarm signal or other warning,
either completely or clearly, is very likely to lengthen
recognition time. Similarly, if vision is impaired, information
about a developing threat or other people’s reactions will be
missed, leading to delayed recognition of the situation.
A cognitive impairment may leave a person unable to interpret
a warning correctly or quickly enough leading to no, or slow,
recognition. A further factor to consider is the impact of
warning signals, such as sounders and strobes, on people where
such stimuli could cause a reaction or event, such as a seizure.
Effect on response time
Response time is characterised by people taking actions that
cannot be considered as escaping. In addition to the examples
given, such actions might include raising the alarm, fire fighting,
checking on others or getting dressed prior to escaping. A
mobility impairment could easily reduce the speed of these
responses for individuals or make it impossible for them to
respond at all.
35
Given that response time is spent deciding on the appropriate
action to take, the fact that sensory impairment might reduce
the means available to gather information makes it very likely
that more time will be taken before escaping, or that the
action taken will not be the best option. Response time is
likely to be extended as a result.
A cognitive impairment may leave a person unable to
interpret the information available about the evolving
emergency situation and mean that the action taken is
inappropriate. Response times will be longer and no
appropriate response may result.
Effect on movement time
For simplicity, most design codes split movement, or travel
distance as it is commonly described, into horizontal and
vertical components. Horizontal movement describes
movement on the same level, such as within the floor on
which the person is located at the time of the evacuation.
Vertical movement refers to situations where it is necessary
to change levels, between floors for example, when escaping.
A mobility impairment can have a great impact on movement
time. Fire safety design codes tend to be based around the
assumption that all people in an emergency evacuation are
able to move independently and all move at the same speed –
that of a fit and fully mobile adult. It stands to reason, however,
that not all people will fit into this assumption. It is only to be
expected that some people will not be able to move
independently and that some will have a range of movement
abilities that will make their movements much slower than for
others. In some instances, depending on what activity they are
engaged in at the time, users of wheelchairs may have to
36
transfer into their chairs prior to moving. Some might need to
wait for a carer to assist and then wheel them to safety. There
will, in many cases, be doors fitted with automatic closers to
negotiate, adding to the time taken to escape. Other situations
will exist where people are confined to bed, such as in
hospital wards or residential homes. Movement in these cases
might require medical equipment to be transported at the
same time.
Aside from the speed of movement of those with mobility
impairments, it is possible that queuing will occur if, for
example, a wheelchair user is moving ahead of a group of
other people.The flow rate for the evacuation will reduce
accordingly if there is insufficient room for people to pass.
This could be a particular problem in narrow corridors or
at obstructions such as doorways.Walking aids, such as
rollators or crutches, take up additional space that is not
generally considered in the models used to predict the
flow rate of people escaping from buildings.
Vertical movement presents particular problems for people
with disabilities. It is common practice for passenger lifts not
to be used in emergency evacuations and, in most cases,
evacuation plans exclude them.This is because of the danger
of a power failure trapping people in the lift, of the lift being
inadvertently called to the floor where the incident is located
or because the lift will not always be enclosed in fire-resisting
construction. Further details of the design and use of
evacuation lifts are given in Section 5.10.
In many buildings, lifts are the only method for people with
mobility impairments to move between floors. Access
legislation is resulting in the installation of passenger or
platform lifts in more and more buildings.The problem
37
created for evacuation is obvious and the solution usually
adopted in fire safety design is to provide safe areas,
sometimes known as refuges, where people can wait for
assistance. More detail on the design of refuges is included in
Section 5.9 Refuges.Whilst waiting, movement stops and the
overall time taken to escape mounts. Often, the only way for
wheelchair users to move between floors is to abandon their
chairs and be carried or otherwise assisted along the stair.
Again, this takes time and adds to the overall escape time.
Another factor with mobility impairment is the knock-on
effect that can occur when slowly-moving evacuees cause
the formation of bottlenecks and queues of other occupants.
It follows, therefore, that organisations must anticipate the
needs of people with disabilities in their emergency
evacuation policies, planning, training and practicing.
Other difficulties faced by those with mobility impairments
include the opening of fire doors against the resistance of
door closers or pressurisation systems, and the negotiation
of doors which, whilst held open magnetically in normal
circumstances, are released to close in the event of a fire to
prevent the passage of smoke and flame. Another factor for
some is the difficulty of moving safely in a closely-packed
crowd when strength and stability levels are reduced. Others
will find it difficult to travel even relatively short distances
without resting. Wayfinding is an important issue for people
escaping in an emergency situation.Time spent locating exits
and finding the appropriate route to take can add significantly
to the overall escape time. A vision impairment would
normally be expected to make it more difficult for someone
to identify exits and follow exit signage and, coupled with the
difficulty of identifying the location of a fire, the recognition
and travel times can often be extended.
38
For many people with vision impairments, the move into
unfamiliar terrain, such as an escape route never used before,
will cause great stress and result in a slowing down of
movement. It will also affect a person’s ability to observe and
follow the escape behaviour of others.
A hearing impairment could also add to the time taken to
escape, not least if it makes it difficult to understand and react
to the instructions of others such as fire wardens. In some
circumstances, for example where an individual with a vision
impairment is very familiar with their surroundings, the
difficulties of low light levels and smoke obscuration can
become less of an encumbrance than for a person without
a vision impairment.
Efficient use of time in the movement phase of an emergency
evacuation requires information to be processed quickly. A
cognitive impairment may slow or prevent the assimilation and
interpretation of this information, with a resulting increase in
the overall time taken to escape.
From the above, it is clear that special consideration of egress
requirements is needed to take account of the needs of
people with disabilities. In many cases, disabilities are “hidden”
and it will not be obvious at the time that there is a need for
extra steps to be taken.
5.3
Assessing the Risk
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) places
obligations on employers to ensure that employees are safe
when at work.The Act makes specific reference to emergency
egress.The legislation requires hazards and the resulting risks
to be identified within workplaces, to ensure that appropriate
39
control measures are taken to mitigate the effects on those
who would be exposed to the risk.
This risk assessment approach is very useful for those
responsible for managing emergency egress and is applicable
when planning for all users of buildings, not just employees.
An assessment of the risks to people with disabilities who are
known to use the building, or who could be anticipated to be
there, will determine the physical measures and management
strategies that are required to ensure adequate means of
egress are maintained.
An important aspect of the Health, Safety and Welfare at
Work legislation is the Safety Statement, which employers are
required to prepare.
The Safety Statement specifies the manner in which the safety,
health or welfare of employees at the place of work will be
secured. It is intended:
•
to involve management up to the highest level in a clear
programme of action;
•
•
•
•
•
40
to stimulate action to ensure compliance with the
statutory safety and health provisions;
to identify hazards and to prioritise remedial action
based on the risk of injury to exposed persons;
to ensure safety measures are kept in place and
monitored on a regular basis;
to identify and assign clear responsibilities in relation
to safety and health matters;
to ensure systematic follow-up of problems, once identified;
•
•
to ensure that resources are assigned to safety and
health; and
to gain the commitment of all persons in the workplace.
These aims are exactly those that an organisation will wish to
achieve in their system for managing emergency evacuation. It
makes sense to use the Safety Statement as a means to
integrate emergency egress planning for all staff, visitors and
other users of the building.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) guidance document,
referred to in Section 2.2 and used to define the structure of
this document, outlines an appropriate system for managing
emergency evacuation.
The HSA has a considerable amount of further information,
on assessing and managing risk, available on its website.
Readers of this guide are advised to visit www.hsa.ie for
additional information.
Risk assessments need to be continually reviewed and must
reflect changes in the physical environment as well as changes
in people, procedures and legislation.
The review and auditing process, to ensure that all measures
required to protect people with disabilities and others are
adequate, is an essential part of managing emergency egress.
A risk assessment checklist is included in Appendix 3.This
checklist can be used to develop a safety strategy that is
appropriate to the needs of people with disabilities.
It is by no means exhaustive in its content and those assessing
the risks to people with disabilities in the event of an
41
emergency evacuation should use it as a guide, adding any
other issues that emerge.
For ease of use, the checklist has been divided into separate
sections headed:
•
Policy;
•
Procedures;
•
People; and
•
Premises or plant.
5.4
Consultation
An important part of preparing emergency plans and
procedures that meet the needs of people with disabilities
is to consult with those who are directly affected.
In many circumstances, it will be easy to identify those who
need to be consulted, such as when considering the needs of
employees with disabilities. In such cases, direct consultation
will ensure that management understands clearly what needs
to be put in place to ensure the employees safety, and the
employee will be aware of the arrangements and have an
increased level of confidence about them.This is an integral
part of preparing a Personal Emergency Egress Plan.
Other groups, such as visitors and the general public who use
buildings, are more difficult to consult directly.The needs of
these people will have to be anticipated when planning for
emergencies and it is important that the suitability of the
arrangements put in place is checked.This can be achieved by
consulting with disability organisations who represent
particular groups of people with disabilities. In some cases, it
might be necessary to consult with medical or occupational
health professionals, particularly when planning for people
with severe disabilities.
42
Consultation will also be required with those members of
staff who will be expected to implement the emergency
procedures.This may involve negotiation with staff
representatives.
The NDA publication ‘Ask Me – Guidelines for Effective
Consultation with People with Disabilities’ provides advice
and guidance on how to consult with people with disabilities.
At a technical level, when drawing up emergency evacuation
plans and procedures, it might be helpful to consult with the
Fire and Rescue Service who would respond to a call out to
the building concerned. It is important to ensure that the
evacuation procedures put in place by the building
management will not conflict with the fire-fighting procedures
that the fire service will adopt when they arrive on site.
If the building being dealt with is in multiple occupation or is
rented from a landlord, it is likely that the egress plan for one
occupant will interact with those of others. It is important
that all parties are consulted at an early stage.
5.5
General Means of Escape Design
Principles
When buildings are constructed, legislation ensures that
provision for means of escape in the event of fire is
incorporated into the structure. Although the focus is on fire
safety, the guidance used ensures people will be able to escape
quickly in any emergency. The legislation is inclusive of people
with disabilities.
Part B of the Building Regulations sets out the functional
requirements for fire safety under the broad headings of:
43
•
•
•
•
•
The guidance in BS5588 also covers, to some degree, the
features needed in warning and alarm systems to help those
with hearing impairments and makes recommendations for
assisting people with vision impairments.
B1 Means of escape in case of fire;
B2 Internal fire spread (linings);
B3 Internal fire spread (structure);
B4 External fire spread; and
B5 Access and facilities for the fire service.
Technical Guidance Document (TGD) B is applicable to most
building types and is provided as a guide to the minimum
standards that will meet the requirements of the Building
Regulations.
TGD B does not give much direct guidance on egress for
people with disabilities but instead refers to BS5588-8: 1999
‘Code of Practice for Means of Escape for Disabled People’.
The basic design principles contained in BS5588-8 are for
people with disabilities to be able to move horizontally to a
place of refuge where they can wait for assistance with the
vertical part of their escape to a place of safety. It should be
noted that this code of practice makes no recommendations
requiring the provision of refuge spaces in “small” premises
consisting only of a basement, ground and first floor with no
floor area over 280m². Good practice, however, would be to
always provide a sufficiently-sized refuge space, or an
alternative solution, when lift access is provided, irrespective
of whether the lift access is a statutory requirement or not.
A number of sources of further information on emergency
egress for people with disabilities, which reflect international
research and good practice, have been included in the
appendices to this guide. One document that will be of
interest to those with responsibility for designing for egress is
DD9999: 2005 ‘Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design,
Construction and Use of Buildings’.This document is
produced by BSI as a “Draft for Development” and is intended
to replace the BS5588 series in due course. It reflects more
recent thinking on egress for those with disabilities and could
be used as an alternative to BS5588-8, with agreement of the
relevant enforcing authorities.
The following sections look at each stage of the emergency
escape process in some detail under the following headings:
•
General Warning and Alarm;
•
Wayfinding;
•
Horizontal Movement;
•
Refuges; and
•
Vertical Movement.
5.6
Fire
Refuge
Vertical
escape
Place of
safety
Figure 3: Principles of evacuation from BS5588-8
44
General Warning and Alarm
In the event of an emergency, some form of warning system
is required to alert people throughout the building.The alarm
will either be raised by an individual who becomes aware of
the incident or by automatic detection in the case of a fire.
Conventional alarm systems may not always meet the needs
of people with disabilities, both from the perspective of
45
triggering the alarm to warn others and in terms of recognising
a warning given.
In situations where the alarm system is manual, i.e. relying
on the actions of a person to activate it, it is necessary to
consider the number, height and location of break glass call
points to ensure that someone with a disability can quickly
and easily locate and reach them.This will necessitate an
assessment of the likelihood that someone with a disability
will be expected to activate the fire alarm. Consequently, it
may require the inclusion of additional features to the fire
alarm system such as additional call points, lowering of call
points or the use of other means of activation such as ceiling
cord switches.The use of automatic fire detection will provide
a backup to manually raising the alarm. Such systems are
increasingly common in public buildings.
Hearing and recognising the alarm is a problem for those
with hearing impairments. In general, given the sound levels
generated by a fire alarm, people with impaired hearing will
usually either be able to make out the alarm signal or be alerted
by the actions of other occupants.This will not be the case for
everyone and consideration must be given to other ways of
raising the alarm including visual alarms, paging system, vibrating
devices and tailoring of the sound frequencies delivered.
When selecting the appropriate system, consideration should
to be given to other impacts that the alarm could have for
people with disabilities.These include risks to persons with
epilepsy through use of flashing beacons, causing inner ear
discomfort or making normal communication impossible due to
high levels of background alarm. Specialist advice should be
sought on the most suitable location and type of sounder.
46
Vibrating alerts
Vibrating alert systems are available which take the form
of a local area paging system linked to the fire alarm system
through an interface. Activation of the fire alarm system will
trigger any paging devices within range of the transmitter.
Depending on the system installed, as well as vibrating, a visual
message can be displayed on the device screen and an intense
audible tone can be emitted.
Figure 4: Deaf Alerter logo (courtesy of Deaf Alerter plc)
The system is therefore capable of alerting those with
moderate to severe hearing impairments and can offer the
added advantage of making users identifiable to staff members
through the audible tone.The system will need to have
battery backup and fault monitoring to the same standard as
the fire alarm system. In large buildings, multiple transmitters
may be required to ensure full coverage. Some systems allow
the devices to be used for general paging, through multiple
channels controlled by software installed on a linked PC.
The use of a vibrating pager alert system requires good
management systems to identify those who need to carry
47
pagers, ensure they are trained in their use, and to manage the
signing in and out of the units. Maintenance of the units is also
important, particularly with regard to ensuring they are fully
charged.The portable nature of the pagers means that this can
be a relatively cost-effective way to cover all areas of a building.
Such systems tend to be easier to manage in buildings such as
offices where those who could benefit are known. Buildings
open to the public are more difficult to manage but the system
can still work effectively. Problems to be overcome are the
potential for pagers to go missing and the uncertainty about
how many are required to be available to cope with demand.
Other forms of vibrating alert available are able to wake
those sleeping through the use of a pad that is placed under
the pillow. Some systems allow the standard paging device to
be docked in a cradle at night time. Activation of the alarm
triggers the vibrating pillow pad and flashes a strobe light.
Some systems allow the cradle to be portable meaning that
those with hearing impairments are not restricted to using
particular rooms.These systems are particularly suited to
hotels or student accommodation.
As new technologies develop, it may be possible to have
paging systems that can provide information on people’s
location within a building.
A drawback to the use of paging systems is the fact that their
use requires the people with hearing impairments to identify
themselves and go through a registration process not
applicable to those without a hearing impairment.
Vibrating paging systems for use as fire alarm warning systems
should comply with the relevant parts of BS5839-1: 2002 and EN54 .
48
Strobes
It is not likely that simply locating a strobe beside each
sounder will give full coverage. Consideration is required of
particular room layouts, the directions in which people are
likely to face and the presence of fixtures, fittings and furniture
within rooms.
Figure 5: Example of strobe equipment
A further factor to consider if strobe beacons are to be used
is the possibility of a negative reaction to the pulsating light in
those with disabilities such as epilepsy. Care needs to be taken
to ensure that the strobe frequency chosen is satisfactory.
Frequencies of 5 hertz and above are to be avoided as the
range of frequencies from 5 to 30 hertz is generally
considered most likely to trigger a reaction. It is
recommended by epilepsy organisations that strobes operate
at a frequency of 2 to 4 hertz and be synchronised so that the
frequency is not increased in spaces with multiple units.
Further guidance on visual alarms can be found in BS5839-1:
2002 – Section 2, Clauses 17 and 18.
5.7
Wayfinding
Wayfinding in an emergency evacuation is a major problem
for everyone who is unfamiliar with the building layout. As
49
most escape routes tend to be located in areas not in normal
everyday use, the presence of suitable escape signage is
essential. By their very nature, many escape routes will appear
off limits during normal use of the building and tend to be
rejected by users in the event of fire.The obvious solution is to
make escape routes a normal means of access where possible.
Wayfinding is a research subject for a number of institutions
internationally, with one of note being the Research Group
for Inclusive Environments at the University of Reading. Areas
being researched include the legibility and conspicuousness of
signage through to the behaviour of people in smoke-filled
environments. For further information, please refer to
www.extra.rdg.ac.uk/ie
The problems are compounded for people with vision
impairments such as macular degeneration or cataracts.
One aid for those with vision impairments is the use of
photo-luminescent wayfinding guidance systems.These
systems typically make use of continuous strips of
photo-luminescent material located in the floor covering or
at low levels on walls, to indicate the direction to the nearest
emergency exit.The strips are brightly coloured and highly
conspicuous in normally lit situations and remain visible in
low light conditions by emitting light themselves.The
photo-luminescent material used absorbs energy from the
natural or artificial lighting, stores it and re-emits it as light.
The systems are of benefit to all building users and are of real
benefit for evacuation along routes that are partially smoke
logged.The idea of low level directional indication of exits has
a long history in the aviation industry but is not commonly
used in buildings as yet.
50
Another wayfinding aid is the use of handrails on horizontal
circulation routes, commonly provided in hospitals and other
healthcare buildings, which, apart from providing support
to users, also provide assurance on escape routes within
buildings.
Irrespective of their location, it is important that handrails are
colour contrasted against their background to ensure that
they are easier for people with vision impairments to see,
even in normal lighting conditions. It is possible to use the
handrails in a building to convey information to the people
who are vision impaired through the use of raised detail.This
information can signify the floor level, the direction for escape
or the location of refuge areas.
The level of lighting to escape routes is very important for
those with vision impairments, and should be of the highest
standard possible. Lighting will, at different times, be provided
through daylight, normal artificial lighting and emergency
escape lighting.
The most critical will be that provided by emergency escape
lighting in the event of a power failure to the building.
Guidance is available in Building Regulations on the areas and
types of building requiring emergency lighting. However,
consideration should always be given to the provision of
emergency lighting to accommodate people with vision
impairments.The required luminance level at the floor of
defined escape routes is 0.5 lux and 1.0 lux in open areas of
accommodation or undefined escape routes, as they are
known. Emergency lighting systems are required to achieve
this level of luminance within five seconds of a power failure
or the failure of a lighting circuit, which allows for the time
taken by fluorescent tubes to warm up. Generally, lighting
51
levels at head height will be at a higher value than at floor
level as the light source is usually located at ceiling level.
Further information on emergency lighting systems is available
in IS3217: 1989 and BS EN1838: 1999.
It should be noted that, over time, the efficiency of light
fittings degrades and the lighting level of a newly installed
system should be designed well in excess of the minimum
recommended lux levels in IS3217.
Signage
The legibility and conspicuousness of escape signage is very
important.This can be improved by relatively simple measures
such as using illuminated exit signs and removing glare and
clutter due to other signage for other purposes such as
advertising.The requirement for the graphic design of signage
is covered by European Council Directive 92/58/EEC.The
design of escape signage provides a degree of uniformity for
Irish citizens as well as visitors from other countries.
Guidance on the graphic design, size and location of escape
signage can be found in BS5499 Parts 1, 4 and 5.The National
Council for the Blind of Ireland have produced information
on signage strategy and should be referred to for further
guidance (see www.ncbi.ie). Building owners do have a choice
on the type of illumination they provide for escape signage.
Signs can be internally or externally illuminated, or in some
cases photo-luminescent.
Research is available from the University of Reading which
demonstrates that the latest generation of light emitting
diode (LED) illuminated signs can improve the legibility and
conspicuousness for those with vision impairments. LED signs
tend to be more expensive to install but offer lower power
52
consumption and extended lamp life, which will have ongoing
maintenance benefits.
In addition to the luminance levels of signage, the provision
of tactile information on signs can be of considerable benefit
to people with a vision impairment.This is particularly the
case where a person with a vision impairment might have to
wait within a refuge space and need information about the
arrangements for egress from the location.
Improving the luminance of escape signage is easy to do,
technically, and should be a measure implemented through
planned maintenance or as part of a building upgrade or
refurbishment. Maximum and minimum luminance levels of
signage are given as 300 cd/m² and 15 cd/m² respectively in
IS413: 1989 but, as with emergency lighting systems, consideration
has to be given to the reduction in lighting levels over time.
Directional sound
The use of directional sound is a developing technology with
many applications, one of which is in assisting with wayfinding
in emergency evacuations. Directional sound is essentially
broadband, multi-frequency sound that is easily and quickly
located by the human ear. Standard alarm systems give no
information on the location of exits, but directional sound
systems use sounders located at strategic points which emit
rapid bursts of broadband sound.The sounds can be tailored
to identify particular building features such as stairs or
emergency exits and indicate the vertical direction to be
taken on stairways.
Tests have shown that the time taken to locate exits is
dramatically reduced when directional sound is used.
53
The technology is of particular benefit to those with
vision impairments as it adds an extra layer of information
received aurally.
The main drawback with the system is one of familiarity. Fire
alarm signals are universally recognised and understood but
the use of directional sound systems is not yet widespread
enough to be sure that building users would know how to
react without individual training. For this reason, its use would
perhaps best suit buildings where people can be made familiar
with the method of operation.
5.8
•
•
Horizontal Movement
Ideally, horizontal circulation within buildings will be level with
suitable ramps and complementary steps where level
circulation is not possible due to building and site constraints.
With new buildings, level approach to and within the internal
spaces is delivered through application of Part M of the
Building Regulations. Part M is a minimum standard and more
comprehensive guidance is available from other international
publications such as BS8300.
In the event of an emergency evacuation, people with disabilities
may not be able to avail of the circulation routes designed for
access and, consequently, escape routes need to be designed
so that they are suitable for all of the building’s occupants.
Horizontal movement can be difficult for those who are
wheelchair users, people with arthritis, expectant mothers and
parents using prams.
54
To facilitate unrestricted egress:
•
changes in level on circulation routes should be designed
out where possible;
5.9
ramps, if required, should comply with recommendations
of Technical Guidance Document M or BS8300 with
graspable handrails to each side having a “diameter” of 38
to 50mm.Whilst it is not essential that the handrails are
circular in profile, designers should note that this shape is
generally most suitable for people with manual dexterity
problems to grip; and
final exits should have level thresholds, even those
opening onto external flights.
Refuges
As many people with disabilities are unable to use stairs
unassisted, it is necessary to ensure that they can stay in a safe
location until help arrives. A common way to facilitate this
need is through the provision of safe areas within protected
stair enclosures.This is not always possible and may not
always be desirable, particularly when dealing with existing
buildings where space in the stairs is limited or where larger
numbers of people who require assistance to escape are
anticipated.
The use of refuge areas will often require a person with a
disability to wait whilst others escape past them. It should be
realised that people can become fearful and concerned about
being left behind. It is essential that the use of refuges is
discussed fully in advance with those who might need to use
them.This will need to be discussed with employees as part of
the drawing up of Personal Emergency Egress Plans.Where
people are unfamiliar with the use of refuge spaces or the
55
spaces’ locations in a building, the intervention of staff will be
necessary to provide direction and reassurance. It may also be
necessary for staff to remain with those waiting in refuge
areas to assist with the use of communication systems or
provide general support.
Refuges should be provided so that people with mobility
difficulties are not placed at a greater risk from fire than
other occupants.This will usually require an assessment of the
numbers of people likely to require the use of a refuge space
and assistance with vertical evacuation of the building. Inherent
in this assessment is the availability and suitability of appointed
staff who can provide assistance, their general fitness, health and
their ability to re-enter the building as necessary in order to
render further assistance, which is unrealistic even in low-rise
buildings of three or more storeys above ground level.
As a minimum requirement, refuges should have the following
features:
•
where a single refuge space is considered sufficient, a
1400 x 900mm space clear of the escape route;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
be enclosed in not less than 30 minutes fire-resisting
structure, with a 30 minute fire-resisting, self-closing fire
door fitted with cold-smoke seals;
be provided with 30 minutes fire-resisting construction
(integrity and insulation) from a fire inside the building,
where the refuge is external;
located either within, or be a space with direct access to,
each protected stairway required for means of escape;
have a two-way communication system, to suit a range of
disabilities, linked between the refuge and the
management control point, compliant with the
recommendations of BS5839-9: 2003;
contain no glazing between the general accommodation
and the refuge space;
clear signage indicating that the space is designated for
refuge and identification of the floor level; and
have a notice providing guidance on procedures in event
of fire.
Figure 6: Example of refuge location
Figure 7: Example of two-way communication system
56
57
An alternative to the location of refuge spaces within stair
enclosures, which may be useful in existing buildings or for
larger numbers, is the use of fire-resisting accommodation
adjacent to protected stairs as refuge space.To be suitable,
such accommodation should have the same period of fire
resistance as the protected stairs and have direct access to
the stairs or to a lift suitable for evacuation.
A further option could be to subdivide a room or storey into
separate fire-resisting compartments, each of which has at
least one independent escape route and adequate provision
to allow movement between compartments. Often this will
necessitate the provision of more than one intercommunicating
door between the compartments to ensure that a route is
always available. This approach is often used in healthcare
premises where the evacuation of patients using stairs is even
more difficult.Where one of these alternative approaches is
used, careful consideration has to be given to the location of
two-way communicating equipment and evacuation aids.
Current standards only require a minimum number of refuge
spaces, but it is clear that this provision could be inadequate
for many buildings where the potential for those requiring
assistance to escape exceeds the number of refuges provided.
This will often be the case in publicly accessible buildings
where it might be appropriate to introduce cellular areas of
fire-resisting construction so that it becomes possible for
people with disabilities to progressively move away from the
risk of fire whilst allowing groups such as families to remain
together.This would not generally be feasible within the
confines of a 1400 x 900mm refuge space.
For example, consider the potential for three wheelchair
users on the upper storey of a building that is provided with
58
two escape stairs and only two refuges.This has the potential
to leave someone in a vulnerable and potentially dangerous
situation. Limiting the number of wheelchair users to two on
the upper storey would not be acceptable in access terms and
might not achieve a satisfactory solution anyway as the route to
one of the escape stairs could be impassable due to smoke or
other untenable conditions. In such a situation, a solution would
be to go beyond the minimum standards and provide either
larger or additional refuge spaces throughout a property.
The nature of the disability, the number of people with
disabilities and their position within the building are critical
issues requiring careful consideration both at design stage and
when the premises are occupied.This is particularly the case
when people with disabilities are able to access and occupy
above-ground spaces within buildings, most usually the case
when buildings are accessible to the public.
In “open” premises, where there is little or no control over
access, the designer and management should make provision
for the maximum, rather than the minimum, number of people
with disabilities that prohibit the unaided use of stairs within
buildings and provide sufficient refuge space to meet
anticipated needs.
In other circumstances, where there is a high degree of
control at the access point to a building, such as in a school or
office accommodation, it may be possible to restrict the
number of people who require assistance on an upper storey,
where there is inadequate provision of suitable refuge space.
Whichever option for refuge is used, the importance of good
management procedures and staff training must be emphasised.
59
5.10 Vertical Movement
Vertical circulation within the building should be no more
difficult for people with disabilities than for other users. In
access terms, the use of passenger lifts removes barriers to
vertical movement. In a fire condition, however, where suitably
designed evacuation lifts are not provided, this aspiration is
unrealistic and, consequently, refuges need to be provided to
facilitate the escape of people requiring assistance from the
upper or lower storeys of a building. On ground-floor
accommodation, where the egress from the building is not
level with the external surface, it may also be necessary to
provide refuge spaces external to the building enclosure.This
will also be the case on upper storeys where external fire
escapes are utilised.
The best means of ensuring that vertical movement is possible
for the evacuation of people with disabilities is to provide lifts
suitable for evacuation use. Detail of the requirements for
evacuation lifts are given later in this section.The benefits of
allowing a person with disabilities to exit a building
independently are to simplify egress procedures for them and
to offer such users equal independence with others.
As buildings are adapted to make them accessible, and lifts
are installed to provide access to storeys above or below the
entrance level, it makes good sense to upgrade the standard
to that of an evacuation lift.This approach means that access
and egress issues are dealt with simultaneously, and the
reliance on assisted evacuation is reduced.
60
Figure 8: Example of good practice stair design
(NDA – Building for Everyone) Note tactile markings
on banisters to indicate the end of the flight.
Escape stairs
Currently, new buildings require a single stair, suitable for use
by people with disabilities, affording access to and between
the various floor levels within a building. In circumstances
where a lift is provided, these requirements are diminished in
respect of the rise, going, stair profile and overall height of rise
between landings. In many circumstances, the stair provided
for access may not be intended for use in the event of fire.
The requirements for access and egress differ in their extent
and it should not be assumed that stairs provided for access
will automatically meet egress needs.
It is recommended that all stairs designed for evacuation
purposes should fully meet the recommendations of Technical
Guidance Document M or BS8300 for access stairs, unless the
building is provided with a suitable number of evacuation lifts
and the provision of means of escape for those with mobility
impairments is sufficiently robust that the need for such stair
design can be discounted.
61
Generally stairs on escape routes should be designed with
a closed riser of a suitable profile with a maximum rise of
170mm and a minimum going of 250mm. Intermediate
landings should be provided so that the maximum rise of any
flight does not exceed 1,800mm.The handrails should have a
contrasting colour to the walls, with the handrail design as
described in ‘Building For Everyone’ (2002) Section 6.7.2 and
provided as a continuous handrail to both sides of the stairs.
Stair nosings should be non-slip and contrasted to the tread
finish, with the first and last nosings having a contrasted
colour to the remainder. Spiral and helical stairs are not
generally considered suitable for escape by people
with mobility impairments.
trapped on whichever floor they have travelled to, as the
majority of lifts are not suitable for use in an emergency
evacuation.
Evacuation lifts are designed to continue operating in the
event of a fire and have special design features to ensure safety.
In some buildings, it might be possible to incorporate
evacuation lifts, thereby affording unassisted escape in the
event of fire.This could be accommodated at either original
design stage or during refurbishment. It should be noted that
it is the Office of Public Works’ policy to incorporate
evacuation lifts in all future new buildings. In some new
buildings and also in older buildings, the provision of an
evacuation lift might be impracticable and suitable evacuation
strategies utilising trained members of staff providing physical
assistance are required. Appropriate manual handling risk
assessments should, obviously, be implemented if this is part
of an egress policy.
It should be noted that, even if an evacuation lift is provided,
refuge spaces are still required. However, these should open
directly onto or be contained within the lift lobby space.
Evacuation lifts, facilitating the management of evacuation of
occupants who have a mobility impairment from a building,
are clearly a more desirable option where available.
Figure 9: Example of good stair design
Evacuation lifts
For those who are non-ambulant, the presence of lifts in
buildings allows them the same level of access as others. Once
the fire alarm system is sounded, these occupants are effectively
62
The comparative additional cost of the features required for
an evacuation or fire-fighting lift will be relatively minor in a
building of more than two to three storeys, particularly where
alternative power supplies are being provided for other
systems. Compared to the alternative of assisted escape
downstairs, evacuation lifts provide the most robust and
63
effective solution for evacuation of people with disabilities. In
particular, evacuation lifts allow many people with disabilities
to evacuate a building independently and with dignity,
eliminating any dependence on colleagues for assistance.
Assisted escape down stairs can cause problems due to:
•
extended escape times caused by contra-flow on stairs
as staff return to assist others;
•
•
•
the possibility of people being without a wheelchair at
ground level if the evacuation chair is required for others;
the cost of supply and training for evacuation chairs and
other equipment; and
the manual handling difficulties and possibility of litigation
due to injury.
It should be noted, however, that careful consideration is
required before utilising an evacuation lift in a fire condition.
It is recommended that evacuation lifts should only open onto
protected lobbies enclosed with at least 30 minutes fire-resisting
construction, with 30 minute fire-resisting self-closing fire doors,
fitted with cold smoke seals.
The design philosophy for fire-fighting lifts is somewhat more
complex than for evacuation lifts, with their operation in a fire
scenario being very much orientated around the specific needs
of fire fighters.The use of fire-fighting lifts might be possible in
the early stages of an evacuation in some circumstances;
however, their use and operational constraints need to be fully
understood by designated users as they are designed not to be
available for general use when the fire alarm is activated, with
the call points on all landings becoming isolated. If permitted for
evacuation of basement or upper storeys, their management
and use should be discussed and agreed with the Fire and
64
Rescue Service as part of the emergency evacuation plan.
Their use will, in any case, only be possible prior to the arrival
of the Fire and Rescue Service at the building.
In exceptional circumstances, the use of passenger lifts, platform
lifts and stair lifts might be considered appropriate. However,
this should not be permitted without undertaking a thorough
risk assessment by a competent person.The competent person
will require a clear understanding of the active and passive
systems incorporated into the building design, together with a
clear knowledge of the specific impairment of any individual
proposing to use such equipment. It is evident, therefore, that
the use of lifts not specifically designed for use in fire conditions
will require a building- and person-specific assessment,
otherwise their availability and use should be discounted.
Guidance on evacuation lifts is contained in BS5588-8: 1999 –
Section 11.
Such an assessment should include, but not be limited to:
•
the total height served by the lift;
•
•
•
•
•
•
the separation of the lift from the fire compartment;
the level of fire resistance afforded to the lift at lower
storey(s);
the availability of an auxiliary power supply, including its
duration under full load;
the frequency of maintenance of the equipment and
power supplies;
the availability of fail-safe mechanisms and their practical
use; and
the availability of assistance.
65
5.11 Advice on Specific Building Types
The use to which a particular building is put can result in a
particular emergency egress strategy being required. For
example, buildings used for the treatment of people with
illnesses, such as hospitals, will have completely different
egress needs and characteristics to office buildings.This
section provides some advice on egress strategies for a
number of common public building types.These are:
•
health service buildings;
•
educational buildings;
•
heritage buildings; and
•
public service buildings.
Each of these building types is discussed in turn below.
Health service buildings
Included in this building category are:
•
hospitals;
•
residential care premises;
•
nursing care premises;
•
clinics; and
•
day centres.
Health service buildings will have a higher proportion of
occupants requiring assisted evacuation than any other
building use. As a result, the general design guidance used for
such buildings takes the needs of people with disabilities into
account, and disability issues are accommodated within the
more general escape provisions. In addition, patients could
require the continued use of equipment, such as monitors and
respirators during, and for some time after, an evacuation.
Clearly, many of the occupants will be at significantly elevated
risk if evacuated to the external air in cold or inclement
66
weather conditions and, consequently, the preferred
evacuation strategy is progressive horizontal evacuation
between fire compartments, previously referred to as zoned
evacuation.
It is not intended to reiterate the guidance contained in
‘Firecode’, the design guides for hospitals and residential care
buildings produced by the Department of Health in the UK,
but merely to give a flavour of the underlying philosophy for
the evacuation of these type of premises.
The principles utilised in the evacuation of healthcare
buildings tend to incorporate all of the aforementioned
guidance and good practice, namely:
•
high levels of automatic detection and alarm;
•
staff available and trained in evacuation procedures;
•
staff familiar with various levels of disability;
•
high levels of compartmentation and fire resistance;
•
separation of higher fire risk areas from patient areas;
•
an ability to move horizontally away from an affected fire
zone to an adjoining zone before having to evacuate
vertically.
These buildings are required to have high levels of fire-resisting
construction between floor levels, with every floor being
capable of acting as a fire compartment. In addition, floor areas
are further compartmented to a maximum size dependant on
the height of the floor and the type of healthcare being
provided.
These patient care areas are again divided into smaller
fire-resisting zones, known as sub-compartments, usually
having a reduced period of fire resistance to that of the larger
compartment. Central to the design concept is the ability
67
to move from an affected fire-resisting zone to an adjoining
unaffected zone, thereby requiring sub-compartments to have
sufficient capacity to accommodate the occupants from an
adjoining zone.The height of the building will often dictate if
it is necessary to have the ability to move to more than one
adjoining zone, i.e. to be able to choose the direction of escape.
and sub-compartments are clearly identified, records
maintained and breaches prohibited. Any adjustment in
the layout of the floor area may require a consequential
adjustment of the fire systems, which often lie hidden within
the building structure.
Within this context of fire-resistant cellular design, staff/patient
ratios and a philosophy for assisted evacuation are also
enshrined. As there is an imperative to reduce pre-movement
times to a minimum, heavy reliance is placed on automatic fire
detection and staff actions.Training and evacuation drills are,
therefore, essential. In such circumstances, it is obviously more
appropriate for staff members to role play on behalf of patients.
However, more active patients may be willing and capable of
participating.
Educational buildings
In recent years, a shortfall of available nursing staff has
resulted in an increase in personnel being recruited from
overseas, with a resultant potential for problems arising from
communication and language difficulties.Training is essential to
ensure that all staff are able to fulfil their role in the
evacuation plan.
The physical elements of hospital buildings, as with many
heavily used building types, tend to be subjected to abuse. As
new technology is installed or maintenance work carried out,
fire resistance and compartmentation can often be interfered
with.With the importance placed on fire resistance between
zones in evacuation strategies for this building type, it is
essential that the structure is maintained in good order,
particularly those elements not generally seen, such as in voids
above ceilings.To this end, in order for the escape philosophy
to succeed, it is vital that fire-resisting zones, compartments
68
•
pre-schools;
•
primary schools;
•
secondary schools; and
•
colleges of further education.
These type of premises, particularly schools for younger
students, are typically off limits to the general public, with the
disposition of disabled staff and pupils being less of an unknown
than for other types of public access buildings. General means
of escape provisions, together with structural fire precautions,
impose limits on the maximum floor area within a compartment
to around 800m².These design constraints both reduce the
level of risk and facilitate the concept of progressive horizontal
evacuation more easily than for many other building categories.
Coupled with occupant characteristics of discipline and strong
focus on teaching staff, these buildings are comparatively
straightforward to design and manage around occupants
with disabilities.
In a risk assessed approach in existing premises, it might be
possible to identify the most suitable location(s) for use by
those with mobility impairments, ideally at ground level. These
rooms could be used to meet the needs of particular staff or
students in lieu of classroom rotation, which is more customary.
This principle, of course, will not be so easily applied in
69
circumstances where specialist equipment, such as required in
laboratories, IT suites and workshops, is provided or where a
staff member requires access to a staff room. In such
circumstances, a similar risk assessment might identify specific
features and management protocols that would facilitate the
safe evacuation of a student or staff member with a disability
from the areas required for access.This could best be
achieved through the use of PEEPs as discussed previously.
Thus it might be possible to provide comprehensive means of
escape provisions to selected areas, matching those to which
access is available or has been provided. However, constant
review by management is vital where this approach is adopted,
as even temporary impairments, such as fractured or broken
limbs, might necessitate the relocation of an entire class to
another part of the school or campus. It should be noted that,
in an attempt to discharge the requirement under the Act to
provide access, some designers and building managers have
overlooked their responsibility to provide safe egress. In any
event, where access is provided in educational buildings, then
the principles for unassisted escape should follow the
guidance in this document.
Events that encourage access by the wider public, such as
parent-teacher meetings or concerts and plays, might frustrate
the control measures in place for normal use, and consideration
should be given to establishing the specific needs of visitors
prior to their arrival. It is recommended that the assembly areas
of educational buildings be assumed to require universal access
and egress.
New educational buildings should be designed to facilitate
access and egress requirements by all users. However, as
previously discussed, the provision of refuge spaces should
be subject to a specific assessment based on the maximum,
70
rather than the minimum, expected occupant capacity.
The concept of progressive horizontal evacuation, utilising
the higher levels of compartmentation provided, will merit
consideration.
Heritage buildings
•
historic buildings; and
•
monument sites.
Due to their protected status, heritage buildings can often
prove to be the most problematic in terms of affording access
to, and consequently suitable egress by, people with disabilities.
But it also follows that, unless adequate and reasonable means
of escape can be provided, it is irresponsible to provide or
allow access. It should not be construed that the provision of
access without suitable means of escape is some form of
compromise.
Because of their national importance, heritage buildings rarely
facilitate entry without some form of access control, if for no
other purpose than to prevent vandalism and theft.This
prerequisite for managed and supervised access provides an
opportunity to assess the impairments of visitors in a dynamic
way and, therefore, continually assess the levels of risk and the
specific assistance that might be required by visitors at any
given time. Obviously, the ability to identify and assess the
significance of physical and mental impairments in this way
requires a level of training and skill. Thresholds at which entry
is restricted or prohibited must be benchmarked against
predetermined criteria, and the capacity of staff to deal with
the varying permutations of occupant and building constraints
should be subject to regular audits across the staff spectrum.
71
Sensitive smoke detection systems, known as aspirating
detectors, can be unobtrusively installed where the internal
decoration is of significant historic interest.These detection
systems use pipework, about the diameter of a pencil, to
“sniff” and sample the internal atmosphere for particles of
smoke and can readily detect small ignitions, such as a match
being struck.These ultra-fast detectors can dramatically
reduce the time to detection, allowing additional time for
escape, compared to conventional fire alarm systems, even
those provided with automatic detection.
In these types of premises, fire suppression systems, such
as sprinklers, can suppress or extinguish a fire in the early
development stages.This type of intervention has benefits for
both the occupant and the historic building alike. Although
their utilisation might not, in the first instance, appear
consistent with the environs of a place of historical interest,
their workings can nowadays be effectively concealed within
the fabric to be totally unobtrusive.
With the availability of other active systems, such as smoke
extraction, pressurisation, gas flooding, etc., suitable means
of escape can often be “engineered” where traditional physical
fire-resisting measures would be considered an unacceptable
intrusion.
In addition to active systems, approved methods are available
for upgrading floors, walls and doors without affecting their
character or appearance; indeed the introduction of self-closing
doors or maintaining internal doors in a closed position will
provide considerable benefit, even if the doors themselves
have only nominal fire resistance.
72
As stated, the difficulty of providing means of escape from
historic buildings should not be underestimated and this
constraint is often as applicable to non-disabled people
as to those with disabilities. This type of premises will often
necessitate the involvement of a fire safety specialist who can
assess the implications of the building constraints, such as
poor fire resistance or smoke control, together with the
physical constraints of its occupants, such as poor mobility or
poor vision. It is essential, for this exercise to be meaningful,
that the building management are fully engaged in this process.
Public service buildings
•
central government premises;
•
local authority premises, including motor tax offices;
•
police stations;
•
•
•
•
•
libraries;
motor tax offices;
passport offices;
public leisure centres, including local authority swimming
pools and gymnasiums; and
courts of law.
This type of premises is often split between public access
and non-public access areas.Within the non-public access
areas, i.e. the staff accommodation, the levels of impairment
will usually be more easily identifiable and management can
establish the appropriate evacuation plans. As a matter of
good practice, all staff should be invited at recruitment and at
regular intervals thereafter to discuss their needs in the event
of an emergency evacuation and develop a PEEP, which should
be tested not less than every six months.The risk assessment
73
process, together with the guidance in this publication
should assist.
The public access areas tend to prove more problematic
in terms of determining the numbers of occupants with
impairments, the degree of impairment and the reduced
opportunity to develop bespoke evacuation strategies for the
building. Within public access areas, therefore, it should be
assumed that the population is representative of the national
average and that approximately 10% of the occupants will have
some level of physical or intellectual disability. Where no
restriction is afforded to access, then there is a clear onus on
the building management to ensure that such measures are in
place to facilitate either the assisted or unassisted evacuation
of all of the building’s occupants. In circumstances where access is
restricted, and management protocols are in place to evaluate
the numbers of visitors with impairments and the nature of
their impairments, then it is easier to plan for the assisted or
unassisted evacuation of a quantifiable number of people.
5.12 Emergency Planning
A great deal of guidance is provided in BS5588-12: 2004 ‘Fire
precautions in the design, construction and use of buildings –
Part 12: Managing fire safety’.This document deals with
managing fire safety from the design stage through
commissioning to end use.
The aim of emergency evacuation planning is to have in place
a system for making sure that everyone in the building can
safely escape in the event of a fire or other emergency.
To plan effectively, it is first necessary to have comprehensive
information about:
74
•
•
•
•
the layout and design of the building;
any fire safety strategies proposed as part of the building
design;
the presence and operation of all fire safety systems such
as fire alarm or smoke control;
the maintenance requirements of the fire safety systems;
•
the occupancy profile for the building;
•
any special risks associated with the building;
•
Fire and Rescue Service response times and
requirements and potential unavailability of resources
due to other commitments; and
•
•
•
the processes and activities undertaken in the building;
risk assessments for all hazards identified;
specific needs of individuals with disabilities.
The occupancy profile for the building will provide information
about the likely numbers of people with disabilities and the
types of disability that could be expected. In buildings that are
open to the public, it is not possible to know exactly what the
occupancy profile will be, but assumptions will still need to be
made in order to prepare plans. In some buildings, it is possible
to have reasonably accurate information about the occupancy
profile.This is generally the case in buildings with controlled
access, such as hospital wards, residential care premises, student
accommodation or office buildings. However, even in these
buildings, it is possible for exceptional circumstances to arise
when visitors are present or events are being run. Emergency
evacuation planning needs to be able to take account of these
exceptions.
75
To provide for the needs of people with disabilities, it is
necessary for the emergency evacuation plan to have
addressed the following questions:
•
Will evacuation be total, phased or zoned?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How will management be made aware of the presence of
those who need assistance with alerting or evacuation?
How will the alarm be raised and what arrangements are
required for those with sensory impairments?
At which stage are people with disabilities evacuated?
What staff to occupant ratio is required to ensure
safe egress?
Are lifts available for evacuation?
What training do staff members require to enable them
to provide assistance?
What aids and equipment will be required to assist with
evacuation?
How can staff be clearly identified to those needing
assistance?
Personal Emergency Egress Plans (PEEPs)
In drawing up an emergency evacuation plan, it is essential to
consult disability groups or, if possible, building users including
staff. Where regular users of the building (including staff,
visitors, contractors, etc.) need assistance with evacuation
and it is possible to identify them, then it will be essential to
develop individual plans which meet their needs.These plans
are known as Personal Emergency Egress Plans or PEEPs.
The drawing up of a PEEP must be done in partnership
with the person affected and needs to have a degree of inbuilt
flexibility to allow for exceptional circumstances.The PEEP
76
is essentially an agreement between the management and the
individual on what steps will be taken if an emergency
evacuation is required.
The PEEP matches the needs of the person with disabilities
to the capabilities of the egress design and management
system. Using a PEEP, it is possible to have assistance
pre-arranged through a buddy system, with pertinent
information about the person’s needs conveyed
in advance to the helper.
Guidance on the preparation of PEEPs is provided in the
‘Access Handbook Template’ produced by the NDA
(www.nda.ie) and further information is available in a
publication produced by The Northern Officer Group (NOG)
entitled ‘Personal Emergency Egress Plans’.
These documents give comprehensive advice on the
preparation of escape plans and make the point that their use
is intended to be very specific to individuals.
Important issues in the development and use of PEEPs include:
•
consultation with the person for whom the plan is
drafted is essential;
•
•
•
ensuring staff with hidden disabilities can have a PEEP
while maintaining appropriate confidentiality;
ensuring that the needs of staff members with
cognitive or mental health impairments (such as
understanding alarm warnings, avoiding panic reactions
or distress) are met;
ensuring cover is arranged for PEEP assistants who are
on holiday, sick or away from the place of work is vital;
77
training needs to be up to date and include practical
elements such as drills; and
•
PEEPs need to be reviewed regularly and updated as
necessary.
•
A copy of the ‘Personal Emergency Egress Plan Template’ used
in the NDA’s ‘Access Handbook Template’ is included in
Appendix 2, together with a copy of the ‘Emergency Egress
Questionnaire’ used in the NOG document.
•
•
•
The information supplied in the preceding sections of this
document will be of help in planning for safe egress.The
number of people involved in drawing up the plan will depend
on the size of the organisation. However, even if only one
person is involved, it will be useful to have access to a reviewer
for comment. It may be beneficial to have assistance from
someone in the health and safety or fire safety professions.
When the emergency egress plan has been produced and
tested to ensure that it meets the needs of people with
disabilities, it should be incorporated into the Safety
Statement required under health and safety legislation.
5.13 Planning for Egress – Summary
•
•
•
78
Gain an understanding of the factors affecting means of
escape generally, including the timeline for available safe
egress time (ASET);
Consider the particular difficulties faced by people with
disabilities – on recognition time, response time and
movement time;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use the Safety Statement as a means to integrate egress
planning into general health and safety;
Consult with employees, visitors, other building
occupiers, special interest groups and enforcement
agencies, etc. to identify their needs;
Understand general principles for means of escape
for people with disabilities;
Identify types of fire warning systems installed and
consider alternative features to assist people with
disabilities;
Consider wayfinding issues for people with disabilities
and the possible technological solutions available;
Review horizontal circulation within the building in the
context of Technical Guidance Document M and BS8300;
Consider the design, location and use of refuges and safe
areas in the building;
Look at vertical circulation within the building – stairs
and lifts – and the possible methods for moving
wheelchairs vertically;
The use of evacuation lifts for vertical escape is
recommended as good practice;
Develop PEEPs for all who require them; and
Produce an emergency egress plan which draws from the
information and understanding of the safe egress for
people with disabilities, and incorporate this into the
Safety Statement.
Complete risk assessments for all activities where egress
is an issue – the checklist in Appendix 3 will be of help;
79
6 Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Information link
Initial Review
Control Link
Egress Policy
Planning for
Egress
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
82
Feedback loop to
improve performance
83
Introduction
Once developed, the emergency egress plan will need to be
implemented in a structured way to ensure it is successful.
An implementation programme will be needed which covers
making any necessary changes to the building or systems,
communication of the plan to all those who need to know
about it, training staff on its operation and testing to ensure
suitability.
This section will meet the following aim of the document:
•
people with disabilities.
For organisations to be confident that the emergency egress
needs of people with disabilities will be met, careful
consideration must be given to the building design so that
features which are needed to ensure safety are built in.This is
only one aspect of the emergency escape performance of the
building, however. Once a building is in use, it is important that
sound operational management systems for egress are in
place which give clear guidance to all building users on what
they need to do to ensure their own safety and that of others.
There are a number of aspects to providing good operational
management systems.The first is to have in place clear
management policies that define the organisation’s overall
approach to emergency egress in general and emergency
egress for people with disabilities in particular. A robust risk
management regime needs to be in place which ensures
continuing assessment of risks as the organisation develops
and changes. Risk assessment needs to be backed up by
procedures and plans that will deliver the policy outcomes.
Staff training is also an aspect of good operational
84
management systems, which is of paramount importance.
A further aspect is the regular testing and practicing of
emergency evacuation plans to ensure familiarity and
continuing suitability. There is also a need to ensure adequate
communication of the egress plan, policies and procedures to
all potential users.
Managing egress can range from taking very simple actions
such as evaluating meeting and conference rooms or event
spaces for disability egress and planning meetings in the most
appropriate rooms to developing complex evacuation plans
using active fire systems.
To this end, it is important that building operators enquire
of all people making group bookings if there are requirements
needed with regards to disability or other issues so that it can
be confirmed that means of escape provisions are adequate.
6.1
Making Changes to the Building
If alterations to the building structure or systems are required
to meet the egress needs of people with disabilities, this work
will need to be carried out as soon as possible. It is important
to remember that such work may affect the Fire Certificate
for the building and require the consent of the local authority.
If it is likely that some time will be taken to make changes, it is
worth looking at temporary measures or arrangements to
ensure safe egress for people with disabilities.
It is recommended that, during any refurbishment works,
consideration is given to upgrading the accessibility of the
property and enhance facilities for all potential users.
85
6.2
Communicating the Plan
The emergency egress plan will need to be communicated to
all those who have a role to play. Stakeholder groups who may
need to know about the emergency egress plan will include:
•
fire wardens;
•
staff and contractors;
•
landlord;
•
other tenants or building occupiers;
•
general public and visitors;
•
fire service; and
•
insurers.
The form of communication and the amount of detail
provided will depend on which stakeholder group is being
targeted. Staff who act as fire wardens will need detailed
knowledge of the plan, which is best achieved through training
sessions, whilst visitors will need only basic information,
perhaps delivered via signage, verbally at reception or by
public announcement at the start of a seminar for example.
People with disabilities who are the subject of a PEEP will
need to have full understanding of all aspects which affect
them directly.The most effective form of communication for
staff will be a combination of awareness sessions,
documentation and drills.The fire service may be interested in
visiting the premises to familiarise the operational crews with
the emergency egress plan and to establish that it will
co-ordinate with their fire-fighting procedures.
86
6.3
Evacuation Aids
Some equipment is available to assist people with disabilities
and those managing the evacuation process. Equipment is
available to make the giving of warnings about an emergency
more effective, to provide assistance with wayfinding and to
make movement towards escape, particularly vertically, easier.
Evacuation chairs
Ascending or descending stairs remains the most difficult
part of escape travel for people with mobility impairments.
As mentioned elsewhere, the use of passenger lifts for
emergency evacuation is not advised due to the potential for
people to be trapped if the power supply is interrupted and
the dangers of the lift being opened inadvertently on the fire
floor with the potential to expose occupants to danger. In
buildings not equipped with evacuation lifts, the normal
approach is for those requiring assistance with mobility to
move or be moved to safe areas, where they are protected
from the fire, to await the assistance of trained staff. Where
wheelchair users need to be evacuated up or down stairs, it
is not considered safe to evacuate them in their own chairs as
this poses unacceptable risks to those providing assistance as
well as the person in the chair.
Commercially available evacuation chairs can be used to
evacuate people downwards in a controlled manner. The
chairs are designed to fold into a compact size for storage
within protected escape stairs. Suppliers of the chairs provide
training on their operation, which needs to be given to a
sufficient number of people to ensure adequate levels of
trained personnel are available at all material times. The
person requiring assisted escape must first transfer to the
evacuation chair and may require assistance. The descent of
87
the chair is under the force of gravity and chairs are fitted
with a braking system that allows the rate of descent to be
controlled by a single person. Evacuation chairs are not
designed for upwards escape, such as would be the case
for basements.
Other devices are available that can ascend or descend
stairs using a battery-powered motor. These can be divided
into devices which require no attachments to be fitted to
wheelchairs in advance and those which do. The former
devices involve a tracked platform or support frame onto
which a user’s wheelchair is strapped. A battery-powered
motor enables the platform to ascend or descend stairs with
minimal effort on the part of the assistant. Other stair-climbing
devices require a bracket to be fitted to the wheelchair to be
evacuated, onto which the device is attached when needed.
This means that stair climbing devices are generally only
suitable for evacuation of staff members or others whose
presence in the building can be anticipated, and to whose
chairs the necessary brackets have been pre-fitted. It might be
possible to make stair climbers of more general use by fitting
brackets to a spare conventional wheelchair which is stored at
the vertical escape route.
The choice of evacuation aid will be informed through the
preparation of a risk assessment.Technological advances are
being made in the design of evacuation aids as industry reacts
to increased demand brought about by the introduction of
legislation. It will be important, therefore, for building
managers to keep abreast of innovations.
88
Figure 10: Example of evac+chair in use
(courtesy of Evac+Chair International Ltd)
If evacuation chairs are to be used, the following points must
be considered:
•
the location and number of evacuation chairs required
depends on the number of people anticipated to require
assistance and other factors, such as the density of
distribution of people around the building and the
number of floors served by each stair. It would be good
practice to provide a minimum of one evac+chair within
each refuge;
•
•
the need for wheelchairs to be available for onward
transportation outside the building or for personal chairs
to be brought to the egress floor at the same time;
the time required for transfer to and from the chair;
•
the acceptability of use of evacuation chairs in fire drills;
•
the fact that it might be very difficult or impossible for a
wheelchair user to transfer to an evacuation chair or
that some people might be unwilling to transfer for
personal reasons.
•
the need for training on transferring and operation of
evacuation chairs; and
89
The presence of a tactile corduroy warning surface at the
bottom of stairs can pose a difficulty for certain evacuation
chairs due to the small wheel size used. Although current
guidance in TGD M requires the provision of this type of
tactile warning, some of the more recently produced codes in
the UK have moved away from its provision at internal flights.
As discussed above, the use of an evacuation chair will require
the transfer of a wheelchair user from their personal chair to
the evacuation chair. This can be difficult for some people
depending on their particular condition. Reluctance to use an
evacuation chair may arise from a lack of confidence in the staff
or equipment, or from concerns about aggravating a particular
condition or injury. Evacuation chairs are not customised to
fit individual users needs and there may be some discomfort
experienced during the evacuation. It is possible that someone
might refuse to transfer to the evacuation chair, creating a
problem for the staff who are assisting. In such cases, the
development of a PEEP provides an opportunity for discussion
and evaluation of options.
The use of an evacuation lift will always be the best option
for the vertical escape of those who require assistance. In
buildings where an evacuation lift is not provided, and people
are unable or unwilling to use an evacuation chair, then the
building management will need to make every effort to instil
confidence in the person with a disability that those operating
the evacuation chairs are fully trained and capable. If this is not
achievable, the organisation will need to give consideration to
restricting access for some people to areas from which safe
egress can be guaranteed.
90
6.4
Staff Training
The presence of trained staff to assist with the evacuation of
a building can add considerably to the level of safety achieved
and reduce the time taken to escape. Staff intervention can
have a very real impact in situations where visitors who are
not familiar with the building are present, where people have
mobility problems or where people are involved in activities
to which they are very committed.
Effective staff intervention can reduce response and
recognition time for people with disabilities and can enable
staff to safely assist those who need help with getting around.
In some situations, staff intervention is absolutely essential, for
example where a person who uses a wheelchair to move
around needs to descend an escape stairway to get to safety.
It is a common misconception that management responsibility
ends with getting people with disabilities to the safe areas on
upper floors and the Fire and Rescue Service will do the rest.
Whilst fire fighters will, no doubt, do whatever is necessary to
save life, it is of enormous benefit if the evacuation of people
with disabilities is started before the fire service arrives at the
scene, so that fire fighters are free to concentrate on other
aspects of dealing with the incident. It is the responsibility of
the building management to make every effort to get
everyone to safety. It is, therefore, essential that organisations
provide sufficient levels of trained staff to deal with the safe
evacuation of everyone in the building.
Staff can also be trained in the appropriate and safe use of
first aid fire-fighting equipment. However, only competent
and willing personnel should be encouraged to attend this
specific training.
91
To enable the safe egress of people with disabilities, particular
emphasis needs to be placed on the training of staff in the
following areas:
General evacuation procedure training
All staff require a level of training on the emergency
procedures that have been put in place for the building.
This should form part of induction training for new staff.
Assisting with mobility
Staff will need specialist training on particular aspects of
assisting with mobility. Examples might include the transfer of
people from a bed or personal wheelchair into an evacuation
aid, or the safe use of an evacuation chair used to descend
stairs. Manual handling training is also required so that staff
know how to safely manage heavy or awkward loads.
Communications training
Specific evacuation procedure training
Those staff who are given particular responsibilities in an
emergency evacuation, such as fire wardens, will need more
in-depth training to enable them to complete their duties
successfully and safely. Staff members with PEEPs will require
appropriate training and support to ensure the PEEP can be
implemented safely.
General disability awareness
It is important that staff who will be required to intervene
in an emergency evacuation have an understanding of general
disability issues.This will enable them to appreciate the
difficulties faced by people with disabilities and to anticipate
the type of assistance that might be required. Of particular
importance is an understanding of cognitive and mental health
impairments and an appreciation of “hidden” disabilities that
might be overlooked. Staff should be trained in techniques to
minimise the panic that some people with cognitive or mental
health impairments may experience in the event of an
emergency evacuation, and the importance of providing and
reiterating clear instructions on evacuation procedures.
92
It may be necessary for staff to have the ability to
communicate with people who have hearing impairments.This
might require a number of staff to have a basic understanding
of sign language.
An important aspect of staff training is to ensure that there
are sufficient people trained to provide adequate cover at
all material times.This means that sufficient numbers of
trained staff must be available to cope with contingencies
such as absences due to holiday or illness, out-of-hours use
of buildings, or abnormal occupancy levels. At times, it may
be possible to have unusually high numbers of people with
disabilities in a building simultaneously. In such circumstances,
it is essential that the appropriate number of trained staff
is available.
A further imperative for staff training is that it is refreshed at
regular intervals and that a system is in place to ensure that
staff turnover does not create gaps in cover.
6.5
Evacuation Drills
BS5588-12 recommends that the emergency evacuation plan
and procedures be tested twice yearly and that a full evacuation
be carried out once each year. Testing procedures and running
93
evacuation drills demonstrates that the emergency evacuation
plan is valid, enables fine tuning of the plan and ensures that
staff are familiar with the steps to take and have had a chance
to practice. It is important for procedures testing and drills to
reflect actual evacuations.This may include having people with
disabilities involved in the exercises or having role players.
The maximum benefit is achieved from testing and drills if a
debriefing takes place after each and the learning that results
is used to review the plans and procedures.
•
•
Develop staff training programmes to cover all aspects of
the egress plan; and
Arrive at a schedule for emergency evacuation drills
(twice per year), both announced and unannounced.
Drills can be either announced or unannounced and it is
preferable that both take place. Announced drills are useful
for training purposes but unannounced drills will enable the
effectiveness of the procedures to be tested. It must be
remembered that drills do not always accurately reflect the
situations that can arise in a real emergency such as the
presence of smoke, flame or injured people. Allowances need
to be made in the emergency plan for these eventualities.
It is essential that accurate records of all drills are kept to
comply with health and safety legislation and to ensure that
any corrective action required is implemented.
6.6
•
•
•
•
94
Implementing Your Egress Plan –
Summary
Carry out any alterations required to meet the egress
needs of those with disabilities;
Communicate the plan to all those who need to know;
Consider simple aspects of building use that impact on
the egress plan;
Investigate the use of evacuation aids such as
evacuation chairs;
95
7 Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Information link
Initial Review
Control Link
Egress Policy
Planning for
Egress
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
96
Feedback loop to
improve performance
97
Introduction
Measurement is essential to ensure egress performance
is kept at a high level.When performance falls below this
level then corrective action should be taken. Procedures
to monitor, measure and record egress on a regular basis
should be developed along with other key health and safety
performances indicators. Records should be kept in the Fire
and General Records Register as required by health and
safety legislation.
This section will help to meet the following aims of the
document:
•
Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress
features that are normally designed into buildings and
the capability of using this information in preparing risk
•
•
7.1 Demonstrating Performance
Good egress performance could be demonstrated by showing
evidence that:
•
monitoring takes place at least annually during live drills;
•
•
•
98
scenarios are included in fire drills to replicate
eventualities, such as the loss of an exit due to fire;
egress policy reflects current situations;
the egress system provides effective monitoring and
reporting on performance;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the evacuation plan is modified to deal with changing
circumstances;
someone at senior management level has executive
responsibility for ensuring safe egress;
management at all levels take ownership of egress
responsibilities;
an egress risk assessment process is in place and remains
effective;
significant egress failures are formally identified and
recorded and that appropriate corrective action is taken;
PEEPs are reviewed at least annually; and
inspections and tests have been carried out and records
maintained.
Some examples of measurements that could be of
benefit include:
•
availability of fire wardens or PEEP buddies;
•
•
occupation levels as a percentage of the total potential
occupancy;
evacuation times for fire drills;
•
satisfaction of people affected;
•
level of liaison with Fire and Rescue Service;
•
frequency and nature of “near misses” during
evacuations;
•
•
•
•
level of staff knowledge with egress procedures;
levels of maintenance of fire safety systems and aids;
frequency and timing of fire safety training; and
number of staff meetings held to discuss egress plans.
99
7.2
•
•
Measuring Performance of Your
Egress Plan – Summary
Develop a range of measurements that allow the
performance of the egress plan to be quantified; and
Regularly measure performance, report to senior
management and ensure that appropriate action is taken.
8 Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Information link
Initial Review
Control Link
Egress Policy
Planning for
Egress
Independent
Auditing
Implementing
Your Egress Plan
Development of
these techniques
Measuring
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
Reviewing
Performance of
Your Egress Plan
100
Feedback loop to
improve performance
101
Introduction
Testing of the emergency egress plan is necessary to ensure
that it has met the objectives established at the initial review.
Once implemented, regular reviews are required to ensure
that the plan continues to deliver and remains appropriate to
deal with changes in circumstances.
This section will help to meet the following aims of the
document:
•
•
•
8.1
Aim 3 – To give guidance on providing safe egress for
Aim 4 – To identify good practice in relation to safe
Regular Reviews
Some examples of changes that could require alterations to
the emergency egress plan include:
•
alterations to the building construction, layout or systems;
•
changes to accessibility of the building;
•
changes to legislation;
•
•
•
•
102
changes in Fire and Rescue Service response or procedures;
changes in staffing levels;
changes in the number of people with disabilities
employed;
changes in the services provided or products available
from the building;
•
•
changes in current good practice; and
outcomes from fire risk assessments.
Regular reviews will ensure that management have continuing
confidence in the plan and will indicate the need for
amendment or redesign.
The organisation will need to decide on the frequency of
reviews and come up with appropriate methods for reviewing
the plan.The aim of each review is to come up with required
actions and have these assigned to individuals for action within
an agreed timeframe. If serious defects with the plan are
identified, it will be necessary to react quickly to ensure that
safe egress is maintained for all.
To enable reviews to be carried out, it is necessary to have
access to the measurements outlined in Section 7. An
assessment will need to be made of the accuracy of the
information gathered through these measurements.
Techniques that can be used to assist with reviews include:
•
desktop appraisals of measurement information;
•
•
•
•
involvement of external agencies such as the Fire and
Rescue Service in participating or monitoring drills;
systematic inspection of fire safety measures and the
recording of defects noted;
surveys of staff, building users and visitors to establish
effectiveness of evacuation provision; and
networking and benchmarking with other organisations
and industry professionals.
The outcome of the review process should be a continually
evolving and increasingly robust emergency evacuation plan.
103
A further desired outcome from regular reviewing should also
be the identification and implementation of good practice and
improvements in technology.
8.2
Audit
8.3
Reviewing Performance Of Your
Egress Plan – Summary
The review process described above will normally be
carried out by those who developed and implemented the
emergency egress plan. It will also be necessary to have the
plan independently audited periodically. This has the benefits
of enabling a fresh look to take place, of allowing other ideas
to come forward and of giving some rigour to the checking
process. Independent audits should be carried out to an
agreed timeframe, perhaps one year after implementation and
then at longer intervals subsequently. The independent review
could be carried out by someone responsible for safe egress
in another branch of the organisation, for example, or through
a reciprocal arrangement with an unrelated organisation.
Alternatively, it may prove beneficial to engage the services
of a health and safety or fire safety professional to carry out
the audit. As with any review feedback, it is important that
senior management are aware of performance, that people
are given responsibility to act on recommendations and
that appropriate resources are available to make
necessary changes.
•
•
•
104
Monitor performance of the egress plan against the
objectives set;
Regularly review the plan in the light of changing
circumstances, both internal and external; and
Have independent audits carried out at agreed intervals.
9 Conclusion
Through the use of this document, the designated manager
with responsibility for safe egress should have a clearer
understanding of the issues requiring consideration for
people with disabilities.
It should be noted that the building, its usage and the varying
levels of ability of the potential occupants dictate that the
assessment of the suitability of the means of escape must
be case-specific. Generic assessments and broad brush
policy approaches are not likely to be suitable.
Inherent in successful egress management will be the
communication and agreement of the egress procedures with
those likely to require assistance, in order to instil confidence
that the arrangements are sufficiently robust and effective to
ensure the expedient and safe evacuation of all.
In some buildings, it may not be possible to discuss procedures
or assess the specific needs of all visitors to the building. In
such circumstances, it may be necessary to consult widely to
ensure that, as far as practicable, every eventuality has been
considered. In every circumstance, the implementation of the
management system outlined in this document should ensure
that suitable evacuation strategies are deliverable.
The key elements of the management system are:
•
carry out an initial review;
•
develop an egress policy;
•
plan for safe egress;
•
implement your egress plan;
•
measure the performance of your egress plan; and
•
review the performance of your egress plan.
106
107
Appendix List
1.
2.
3.
4.
108
Appendix 1
Glossary of Terms
PEEP Questionnaire and Template
Risk Assessment Checklist
Further Information
109
Glossary of Terms
Accessibility
Ease of independent approach, entry and/or use of a facility
with an assurance of individual health, safety and welfare
during the course of those tasks, usually to a widely accepted
standard such as BS8300.
Compartment
A part of a building (comprising one or more rooms, spaces
or storeys) constructed to prevent the spread of fire or
smoke from another part of the same building.
Disability
Disability in relation to a person means a substantial
restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a
profession, business or occupation in the State or to
participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason
of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual
impairment – Disability Act (2005).
Egress
Independent emergence of user(s) from a building and
immediate vicinity.
Evacuation chair
An evacuation chair can facilitate the transfer of people with
significant physical disability in event of emergency egress. It is
a purpose-designed unit which is usually wall-mounted and
stored in a refuge area or in a prominent position on the route of
escape.These units are not suitable for transfer of all people with
disabilities and staff assisting should be trained in their use.
110
Evacuation lift
A lift designated to have additional protection, with controls
that enable it to be used under direct control of the fire
brigade or a competent person to assist with evacuation.
Fire-fighting lift
A lift designated to have additional protection, with controls
that enable it to be used under direct control of the fire
brigade in fighting a fire.
Fire resistance
The inherent capability of a building assembly, or an element
of construction, to resist the passage of heat, smoke and flame
for a specified time during a fire.
Fire safety strategy
A coherent and purposeful arrangement of fire protection and
fire prevention measures which is developed in order to attain
specified fire safety objectives.
Inclusive design
Design of an environment that can be used equally by
everyone, regardless of disability, age, ethnicity or gender.
PEEP
Personal Emergency Egress Plan is a way of matching the
capabilities of an individual building to the needs of individual
employees with disabilities.
Refuge area
A building space directly adjoining, and visible from, a main
vertical evacuation route – robustly and reliably protected
111
from heat, smoke and flame during and after a fire – where
people may temporarily wait with confidence for further
information, instructions and rescue assistance without
obstructing or interfering with the evacuation travel of other
building users.
Appendix 2
PEEP Questionnaire and Template
Safety zone
Refer to refuge area (above).
Signage
Type of graphics created to display information or directions
of a particular location.
Tactile
Profiled surface or finish providing guidance or warning to
people with vision impairments, e.g. blister paving is a style
of tactile paving used to provide guidance at crossings.
Two-way communication system
This system allows communication typically between
occupants of a refuge area and a management control point
during evacuation.
Wayfinding
This is the process of identifying, travelling along and adhering
to a suitable route – usually comprising two main components
– the negotiation of obstructions or features and navigation of
a route or direction.
112
113
PEEP Questionnaire
and Template
Emergency Egress Questionnaire
1.
Why you should fill in the form
As your employer, __________________________
has a legal responsibility to protect you from fire risks and
ensure your health and safety at work.To do this properly we
need to know:
•
if you require information about our emergency egress
procedures; and
•
if you need assistance during an emergency.
Name
_____________________________
Job Title
_____________________________
Department
_____________________________
Brief Description
of Duties
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Location
1.
It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to complete
the form.
2.
_____________________________
_____________________________
What will happen when you have completed
the form
We will be able to provide you with information you need
about the emergency egress procedures in the building(s) in
which you work.
If you need assistance, we will be able to work out a ‘Personal
Emergency Egress Plan’ for you.To do this, we will discuss the
best ways of getting you out quickly and comfortably. We will
involve you, your manager and the person(s) in charge of the
building(s) in which you work. But don’t worry; we do not see
you as the problem – you are not a safety risk. The problem
belongs to us and the building in which you work.
114
Where are you based for most of the time?
Please name the building, the floor and the room number.
_____________________________
2.
Will your job take you to more than one location in the
building in which you are based?
Yes 3.
No Will your job take you to different buildings?
Yes No 115
Awareness of Emergency Egress Procedures
4.
Are you aware of the emergency egress procedures
that operate in the building(s) in which you work?
Yes 5.
No Do you require written emergency egress procedures?
Yes 6.
Yes Yes 7.
Yes No 5c. Do you require emergency egress procedures to be
on tape?
Yes No 5d. Do you require emergency egress procedures to be
in large print?
Yes No Can you hear the fire alarm(s) provided in your place(s)
of work?
Yes 8.
No 5b. Do you require emergency egress procedures to be
in Braille?
No Emergency Alarms
No 5a. Do you require written emergency egress
procedures to be supported by ISL interpretation?
Are the signs which mark the emergency exits and the
routes to the exits clear enough?
No Don’t know
Could you raise the alarm if you discovered a fire?
Yes No Don’t know
Assistance
9.
Do you need assistance to get out of your place of work
in an emergency?
Yes No Don’t know
If No, please go to Question 13
10. Is anyone designated to assist you to get out in an
emergency?
Yes No Don’t know
If No, please go to Question 12. If Yes, give name(s) and
location(s).
_____________________________
_____________________________
116
117
11. Is the arrangement with your assistant(s) formal (that
is, is the arrangement written into their job description)?
Yes No Don’t know
11a. Are you always in easy contact with those
designated to help you?
Yes No Don’t know
Remember, we do not see you as the problem – you
are not a safety risk. The problem belongs to us and
the building in which you work.
Please return your completed form to
_____________________________
_____________________________
12. In an emergency, could you contact the person(s) in
charge of evacuating the building(s) in which you work
and tell them where you are located?
Yes No Don’t know
Getting Out
13. Can you move quickly in the event of a fire?
Yes No Don’t know
14. Do you find stairs difficult to use?
Yes No Don’t know
15. Are you a wheelchair user?
Yes No Don’t know
_____________________________
Personal Emergency Egress Plan
Name
_____________________________
Date
_____________________________
Position
_____________________________
Designated
Assistance
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Thank you for completing this questionnaire.The information
you have given us will help us to meet any needs for
information or assistance you may have.
118
119
Assistance Methods/Techniques
Evacuation Route(s): (preferably with diagrams)
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Equipment Provided
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Emergency Evacuation Procedure(s) (a step-by-step guide,
from alarm to safety, of the evacuation procedures from
different floors and buildings):
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
120
121
Appendix 3
Risk Assessment Checklist
Risk Assessment
Checklist
The checklist below can be used to inform an appropriate
plan of action, including the name and role of responsible
persons and timeframes, which will ensure that a safe built
environment is maintained for all people, regardless of ability.
122
123
124
Policy
Does a risk-based emergency
evacuation policy exist?
Does the policy meet
current legal requirements
and/or best practice?
Is the policy known to
premises managers and being
implemented fully?
Is the policy available in large
print, Braille, tape or other
alternative formats upon
request?
Procedures
Do written procedures for
the evacuation of people
with disabilities exist?
Are the procedures tested
regularly?
Do the procedures take
account of : walk through
procedures; announced drills;
and unannounced drills?
Are there procedures to
identify the number and
location of people requiring
assistance within the building?
Ref
1
2
3
4
Ref
5
6
7
8
Yes
Yes
No
No
Signpost to evidence /
comments
comments
Action / decision
Action / decision
Action
by
Action
by
When
When
125
126
Procedures (continued)
Are procedures in place for
people with disabilities to
make their needs known to
staff?
Can existing evacuation
procedures cope with the
maximum number of people
with disabilities likely to be
present?
Are measures in place to
control access to the building
should existing coping
mechanisms be at full
capacity?
Has account been taken of the
likely presence of guide dogs?
(NB It is not recommended
that any evacuation strategy
should suggest separating a
dog from its owner)
Are procedures and
information regarding the
use and non-use of lifts in an
emergency in place?
Are pictorial symbols
included on all fire
evacuation signs?
Do fire exit signs indicate
which exits are suitable for
wheelchairs?
Ref
9
10
11
Ref
12
13
14
15
Yes
Yes
No
No
comments
comments
Action / decision
Action / decision
Action
by
Action
by
When
When
127
Are ground floor fire exits
level or ramped and is there
a suitable external surface?
Are emergency exits
checked regularly to ensure
they are not blocked or
impassable?
Are fire procedure notices,
including procedures for the
evacuation of anyone
requiring assistance, displayed
within the building?
Has consideration been given
to allowing able-bodied
people to evacuate
independently of people with
disabilities?
People
Is a responsible person
nominated to hand over
information to Fire and
Rescue Services, including
information about the
presence of people with
disabilities and their
particular disability? (Give
details of nominated person)
Does a means exist for
assessing the extent of any
assistance that people with
disabilities are likely to
require?
Is the location of people with
disabilities within the building
known?
Ref
16
17
18
19
Ref
128
20
21
22
Yes
Yes
No
No
comments
comments
Action / decision
Action / decision
Action
by
Action
by
When
When
129
130
People (continued)
Has a ‘buddy’ system been
considered, with appropriate
backups?
Does the ‘buddy’ system take
into account all working
patterns?
Has appropriate training in
evacuation been given to all
‘buddies’?
Have people with disabilities
working as lone or sole
workers been accounted for
and appropriate evacuation
measures adopted?
People (continued)
Has provision been made for
people with disabilities once
they have been evacuated
from the building (especially
if wheelchair users have been
evacuated without their
wheelchair)?
Has a full assessment of the
needs of disabled staff
members been conducted?
Have additional safety
measures been identified?
Have the measures been
implemented?
Is there a need for a PEEP
for any staff member?
Ref
23
24
25
26
Ref
27
28
29
30
31
Yes
Yes
No
No
comments
comments
Action / decision
Action / decision
Action
by
Action
by
When
When
131
132
People (continued)
Is the PEEP available in the
appropriate format?
Is sleeping accommodation
present in the building which
requires additional
equipment or measures?
Have the additional
equipment/measures been
provided?
Are detailed and up-to-date
records kept on staff training,
e.g. evac+chair, fire warden,
fire extinguisher, first aid,
‘buddy’ training?
Premises or plant
Have suitable refuges been
provided?
Are appropriate
communications available
within each refuge?
Are escape routes clearly
signed?
Is emergency lighting
sufficient for people with
vision impairments?
Are doorways wide enough
for wheelchair egress?
Does the direction of
opening of doors hinder the
movement of a wheelchair?
Ref
32
33
34
35
Ref
36
37
38
39
40
41
Yes
Yes
No
No
comments
comments
Action / decision
Action / decision
Action
by
Action
by
When
When
133
134
Have visual or sensory
alarms been provided for
people with poor sight?
Are handrails provided on
both sides of stairs?
Does any fire or safety
equipment need to be
adapted to suit the needs of
a person with a disability?
Is all safety equipment
subject to regular testing and
maintenance?
Are reporting procedures in
place for defective
equipment?
44
45
46
47
Are ramps available on
egress routes?
42
43
Premises or plant
(continued)
Ref
Yes
No
comments
Action / decision
When
Appendix 4
Action
by
Further Information
135
Further Information
BS5588, Part 8: 1988, Fire Precautions in the Design,
Construction and Use of Buildings – Code of Practice
for Means of Escape for Disabled People,The British
Standards Institution (1988)
BS5588, Part 12: 2004, Fire Precautions in the Design,
Construction and Use of Buildings – Managing Fire
Safety,The British Standards Institution
BS7974: 2001, Application of Fire Safety Engineering
Principles to the Design of Buildings – Code of
Practice,The British Standards Institution
BS8300: 2001, Design of Buildings and Their Approaches
to Meet the Needs of Disabled People – Code of
Practice,The British Standards Institution
Designing for Accessibility, CAE (2003)
Planning and Access for Disabled People – A Good
Practice Guide, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003)
Peter Parker and June Fraser, Sign Design Guide, JMU and
the Sign Design Society (2000)
How to Develop and Implement a Safety and Health
Management System, Health and Safety Authority
Guidance Document for the Healthcare Sector
NDA, Building for Everyone,The National Disability
Authority, Dublin (2002)
The Building Regulations (Ireland), Technical Document M
2004 – Access for People with Disabilities (1997-2006)
The Building Regulations (Ireland), Technical Document B
2006 – Fire Safety (1997-2006)
Buildings for All to Use – Good Practice Guidance for
Improving Existing Public Buildings for People with
Disabilities, CIRIA (2004)
The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland), DFP Technical
Booklet E 2005 – Fire Safety (2000)
Peter Barker, Jon Barrick and Rod Wilson, Building Sight,
HMSO in association with the Royal National Institute of the
Blind (1995)
The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland), DFP Technical
Booklet R 2006 – Access To and Use of Buildings (2000)
Code for Lighting, Chartered Institute of Building Services
Engineers (2000)
The Building Regulations (2000), Approved Document M:
Access To and Use of Buildings (England and
Wales),Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003)
Creating Accessible Environments, College of Estate
Management Training Study Pack (2005)
136
137
The Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1999, Part E
2007: Means of Escape From Fire, Facilities for Firefighting and Means of Warning of Fire in Dwellings,
Scottish Executive
DD9999: 2005, Code of Practice for Fire Safety in
Design Construction and Use of Buildings
Department of Health, Firecode – Fire Safety in the NHS
– Health Technical Memoranda
Personal Emergency Egress Plans,The Northern Officer
Group (1993)
Access Handbook Template – A Tool to Help Manage
the Accessibility of the Built Environment, National
Disability Authority
Ask Me – Guidelines for Effective Consultation with
People with Disabilities, National Disability Authority
Signage Strategy 2005, National Council for the Blind
of Ireland
Dr Karen Boyce, University of Ulster, FireSert
138
139

Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities

Transcription

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